


Curse 49

by princesskit



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, M/M, another AU, ghost au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-03
Updated: 2016-09-20
Packaged: 2018-07-29 04:42:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 25
Words: 75,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7670530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princesskit/pseuds/princesskit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daichi Sawamura transfers to his new school and is placed into Class 3-4, yet little does he know that his new class has a disturbing secret. When a fellow student dies a disturbing death - the first of a long chain of deaths - Daichi is determined to discover the truth behind Class 3-4. At the center of it all lies Sugawara Koushi, a boy who is "not there".</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> The title of the fic comes from the Japanese superstition around the numbers 4, 9, and 49. In Japanese culture, the number 4 is often missed out in hospitals due to the "shi" sound, which can also mean death. 9 is also missed out frequently due to it's association with "ku" which usually means "to suffer". The number 49 can be seen as especially unlucky as it is linked to the phrase 死ぬまで苦しむ, which means "to suffer until death".

“Do you guys want to hear a ghost story?”

The four boys were sat in a circle on the floor, which was a mess of blankets and empty snack packets. Midnight had descended, but the group of friends weren’t quite tired.

“Ah… right before bed? I don’t think that’s a good idea…” the largest of the four was sat upright, legs crossed, wringing his hands together nervously.

“Oh, don’t tell me you’re scared of _ghosts_ , too?” the smallest boy grinned.

“D-don’t be harsh!” the tall boy snapped back, looking down.

The silver-haired boy who offered to tell the story laughed at his friend’s antics. “So should I tell it, or not? Maybe we could summon _Teketeke_ in the bathroom afterwar-”

“Don’t you dare!”

“Ah, whatever! Come on, just tell it, how bad can it really be?” the loud-mouthed boy who had remained silent up to this point spoke up.“I’m not afraid of no ghost story!”

“You’re too stupid to be scared of it, anyway!” the cheeky small boy, who had been teasing his scared friend, focused on the other.

“Damn right I am!” he puffed out his chest and folded his arms across it in defiance, before realising just what had been said. “Hey!”

“Alright, alright, settle down,” the silver-haired storyteller had brought out a torch, and held it in front of his face, illuminating his features. At his soothing voice, the others quietened, transfixed by his face, which had taken on what could be considered a strange expression. Subconsciously, the timid boy reached for his pillow and began to hug it to his chest, as if it could ward away his sense of unease. The small boy punched him lightly on the arm, grinning at his fear, but still, he didn’t loosen his grip. “Our story is a local one, about a place I’m sure you’ve all heard of.”

“Where is it?” the enthuastic one urged.

“I’ll tell you. Does the name _Miyagi South_ ring any bells?”

“Of course it does! We’re all going there in the summer!” the noisy one pointed out, feeling somewhat proud of himself, though he didn’t quite know why.

“Oh, man… I’m scared enough about going to high school as it is, without the scary story to help!” the coward of the group

The storyteller paid no heed to the commends and continued. “It’s well-known that Miyagi South has produced some of the best volleyball players the country has ever seen, and nobody knows quite why.”

“Oh, great, just make volleyball scary too - next you’ll be saying my friggin’ uniforms haunted too!” the proud boy spoke up again, tugging at his shirt.

“Maybe? Who knows?” the storyteller smiled, before carrying on. “It is also a local legend that playing volleyball through to graduation sets you up well if you want a future in it. They say playing in Miyagi South’s gym is lucky. To people here, that’s all it’s necessarily known for. But to those of us who know, this isn’t the only supernatural thing about Miyagi South. Oh, no.”

“What else is supernatural?” the boy behind the pillow mumbled, afraid already.

“They say that in the third year, there is a class where all the best volleyball players over the last two years are placed. Class 3-4. Whether this is just a coincidence or just a tradition is unknown, but that has been the case for the last two decades or so. They say that 20 years ago, tragedy struck that class. A class that otherwise symbolised luck and good tidings for the future.”

“What happened?”

“An accident befell one of the students in that class. He was super popular with everyone; respected by his classmates and teachers alike. He had top grades, headed well on his way to academic success, plus he was considered Miyagi’s ideal athlete – he was Miyagi’s _ace_. Of all people, he was supposed to be the luckiest. The most fortunate. Only good things could happen to him. So when he died, it came as a huge shock to the class.”

“Did he… did he come back?” the wimpy boy ventured.

“No, he didn’t come back. Because _he never left_.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“Your face is kind of scary, man…”

“Well, when the class received the awful news, nobody knew what to say. A silence just fell over them, and nobody said a word. That was until a friend of the deceased student stood up and pointed at his desk, and said: _‘He isn’t dead. I mean, look. Can’t you see that he’s right there?_ ’”

“What?! But he was dead, right?! How could he have just been sat there?! This story is stupid…” once more, his arms were folded across his chest, except this time in defiance.

“Yes, he was dead. I’m just telling you what happened. Anyway, the class couldn’t accept his death, and continued to act as if he was right there alongside them. They talked at his desk, they walked home together, even making sure to stop by at his house; everyone banded together to act as if he was alive and well. Even the teachers went along with it. All to keep the peace, really.”

“That’s nice, in a messed up kind of way. Hey, if I died, would you guys talk to my ghost?”

“Hell yeah! Think of the pranks we could pull!”

“It would be pretty awesome!”

Unbeknownst to the group’s token loudmouths, their cowardly friend had forgotten his fear temporarily and was rolling his eyes at their antics. _Trust them…_

“Hmm, it would have been nice, if the story ended there. At graduation, to appease the kids, the principal even had the dead student’s desk included with the rest of the class. Only when it came to take a group photo, if you looked closely, you could see an extra person standing with the class. In the back of the room, the dead student stood as proudly as the rest, a smile on his face.”

“Th-There’s more, isn’t there?”

“Absolutely. The rest of the story is…”


	2. April ; hospital

For the longest while, all that could be heard in the small hospital room was the quiet whirring of various medical equipment and the wheezing of the patient currently laid in the hospital bed.

Today was meant to be Sawamura Daichi’s first day at his new school, Miyagi South, where he would be completing his third and final year of high school, but instead, it turned out to be the second day of his first ever stay in hospital. As soon as the spring break began to come to a close, inexplicably, his right lung had collapsed, and he’d been rushed to hospital.

During the spring, Daichi had been staying with an old family friend, Azumane Asahi, due to his father having to move away because of work. Rural life in the town of Miyagi was a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of the city he was used to, but thanks to Asahi, he quickly learned his way around and the way of life. Surprisingly, people out in the sticks loved volleyball as much as they did in the city; Daichi was glad for it, since it was a passion of his, one he hoped would turn into a career for him, but he knew this wasn’t likely. Still, having big dreams wasn’t such a bad thing sometimes. Volleyball was something he and Asahi both shared an enjoyment of and a skill for, so most of their days were filled with games and practice matches with Asahi’s friends from school.

According to multiple people – Daichi’s father, Asahi, Asahi’s friends – the school that Daichi would be attending had an amazing reputation for producing highly successful volleyball players, so maybe it wouldn’t be all so bad. Many expected him to be nervous about attending an entirely new school in a strange town, but if anything, he was sort of excited. Only the day before school was due to start, his lung had collapsed with no warning during a practice, scaring the hell out of Asahi.

From what information he’d gleaned from the doctors and pamphlets, a collapsed lung was known as a ‘spontaneous pneumothorax’ in medical talk, which entailed part of the lung tearing open, thus leading to air leaking into the pleural cavity. At this point, Daichi had stopped understanding what exactly had happened, but fortunately, the nurse who’d been caring for him dumbed it down for him: _“Huh. Okay, what happens is that your lung shrivels up like a balloon or something, so your chest hurts a whole load, and it gets kinda hard to breathe._ ” They’d yet to find out what triggered it, but the usual suspects were stress and exhaustion.

Through the haze of boredom and general tiredness in his mind, a quiet knock on the door sounded out. Daichi looked up from the pamphlet he was reading about his condition – for there was little else to do – to see Asahi standing in the doorway, plastic bag clenched in hand. “Hey, Asahi.”

“Hello,” Asahi inclined his head politely, closing the door behind him. As he walked by Daichi’s bed to sit on the uncomfortable plastic chair, he dumped the bag on the bedside table. “I brought you a change of clothes and some stuff to do, I figured you’d be kinda bored.”

“Just a little bit,” Daichi smiled at his friend; it was obvious that Asahi was feeling partially responsible for Daichi’s condition, despite promises from medical professionals and the patient himself that it wasn’t.

“I feel bad for you. Kinda sucks that you’re stuck in here, especially on your first day…” Asahi rubbed the back of his head, a habit he was wont to do whenever he was feeling particularly ashamed about something. “Oh, yeah, that’s right! How’re you doing?”

“Alright,” Daichi said, even though he was lying through the skin of his teeth – his chest felt like it was aflame, and breathing was a chore in itself. He’d become a master of being constantly masking what he was feeling and thinking due to volleyball matches; if you could be easily read, then your opponent had the advantage. Not that Asahi was any enemy of his, though. “It’s nothing I can’t deal with.”

“Glad to hear it,” Asahi sounded genuinely relieved, and smiled for the first time since entering the room. “I haven’t been able to call your dad yet and tell him. Sorry.”

“You don’t have to say sorry, I’ll call him when I can. Probably better from my mouth than anything.”

“Y-Yeah, probably. What if he got angry at me?”

At that, Daichi laughed. “He wouldn’t get angry at you. It’s hardly your fault!”

“But still…” the large boy shifted awkwardly in his seat. “There’s some money with your clothes too. In case you wanted to get something from the vending machine. I know hospital food sucks.” Rifling through the bag, Daichi brought out what looked like 3000 yen, and looked at Asahi with unbelieving eyes; this could be his month’s pocket money, and he certainly wasn’t going to spend 3000 yen on candy and fizzy drinks from a vending machine. “I, uh, didn’t know how much you, uh, needed. I hope it’s enough.”

“I think it’s more than enough, Asahi,” Daichi shook his head, and placed the money back in the bag, knowing that if he returned it now, his friend would only feel guilty.

“Oh, good. I was worried.” _What else is new?_ Daichi thought. “Uh, would you like to see where the school is?”

“Sure.”

With that, Asahi stood up out of his chair and moved to the window, pointing at something; using the control for his bed, Daichi moved into a sitting position to look. “There’s the school, by the way. Just past the Torono river.” Following Asahi’s finger, Daichi’s eyes settled on a campus of sorts, with three prominent buildings clustered together. Two, he noticed, seemed to be a little larger and brighter than the third. “I didn’t think I’d shown you is all. We’re in the same class, but I think you knew that much.”

“Yeah, Class 4, right?”

“That’s the one,” Asahi replied dryly, his tone changing suddenly, somehow more serious, but within a mere second, his voice was lighter and friendly again. “It’s a really great class. All the guys who play volleyball usually end up in that class, so you’d fit right in. There’s a whole sense of working together in there. Like a team.”

“Sounds like a good place to be.” Perhaps it was his imagination, but Daichi could have sworn he saw his friend’s face darken. When he blinked, it was gone.

“It is. You’d fit right in,” Asahi said again, as if he had little else to say. “I’m not sure if it works the same way in the city, ‘cause I’ve, um, never been, but in Miyagi, you have to put the team above a single person. Prioritize the collective over just the one.”

“No, no, teamwork’s a big thing in the city, too,” Daichi nodded in agreement, confused as to what his friend was getting at, or why he’d begun to act so strange. “Is something wrong, Asahi?”

“Huh? What? No, no, of course not,” the boy waved his hands in front of him, as if to deter any other questions his somewhat suspicious friend could have. “There’s just…” Asahi lowered his eyes so he was staring at the hands, which he’d begun wringing together, and his voice went near inaudible that Daichi had to strain to hear it. “I have to tell you some things about our class.”

In the short time he’d gotten to know Asahi again, Daichi knew that he wasn’t playing around, so slowly and painfully moved so that he was closer to his friend. “Asahi.”

“It’s important, so…” nervously, Asahi looked around, as if checking for other people in the room, “try to keep it secret, okay?”

“Who have I got to tell?” Daichi replied, in a way to comfort his friend. At this, Asahi nodded, almost steeling himself for something.

“About our class, 3-4… this is going to sound totally crazy, but you’ve got to believe me. I’m not lying.”

“I’ll believe you, Asahi. You’ve never lied to me before.”

“Alright, thank you,” Asahi took a deep breath – he was stalling, Daichi thought to himself. “Our class, 3-4, is just… _different_ from other classes. I can’t give you a lot of details, because –”

At that moment, a loud knock on the door diverted Daichi’s attention, and made Azumane jump in his seat, so much so the entire chair jolted forward a couple of inches. Suddenly, the door was yanked open without any form of permission from the patient, revealing the new visitor to be none other than the nurse who’d been taking care of Daichi, Tanaka Saeko. “Yo, Sawamura! Oh, you’ve got a friend here already? Nice! Yo, Azumane!”

“Hello again, Tanaka-san,” Asahi mumbled in greeting.

“Oh, you guys know each other?” Daichi looked between them.

“Yup! This guy and my little bro have been in the same class since they were tiny! I could show you pictures if you want!” Saeko guffawed loudly. “Aww, c’mon, Azumane, what’s with the sad face?”

“Nothing, nothing,” Asahi smiled up at the nurse, but even Daichi could tell how wan it was.

“Well, a smile’s a start. Still, Sawamura, gotta say, you’re a popular guy today. You’ve got even more visitors!” With that, she shrugged. “Whatever, I’ve gotta get back to work. See ya, guys!” Briskly, she turned around and began to walk away, waving at those she’d left behind.

From behind her, three guys dressed in the same uniform as Asahi was; they weren’t anyone Daichi recognized, nor did they strike him to be particular friends of Asahi’s. Upon seeing them, Asahi leapt to his feet, and bowed quickly in a greeting that was far too formal. “Good afternoon!”

“Oh, Azumane, you’re here?” a brunet boy looked lazily at Asahi, before his eyes flicked to Daichi, scrutinizing him.

Suddenly, his face split into a friendly and somewhat excited smile. “Nice to meet you! You’re Sawamura Daichi-san, right?”

“Yeah,” Daichi nodded, returning a small smile in return.

“Um!” Bringing his head out of a bow, Asahi spoke up, “I’ll leave you guys alone! I’ll come and visit you tomorrow, Daichi!”

“Yeah, sure…” Daichi trailed over, tracking Asahi’s hurried movements across the room, as if he couldn’t leave fast enough. Weird, he thought, before focused on the trio that entered the room. Whilst Asahi was afraid of most people, that reaction had been something else; _were these people being mean to him?_ Daichi thought to himself. If they were, then it was his duty as a friend to teach them some damn respect. Or did it have something to do with how guilty Asahi had looked as he left, like he shouldn’t have been trying to tell Daichi whatever it was he was trying to say. All three of them hadn’t stopped staring at him, he realised out of the corner of his eye. “Are you students at Miyagi South too?”

“That’s right,” the boy with spiky dark hair stood in the centre of the trio spoke up. His muscular arms were crossed over his chest, as if on the defensive. _Against who?_ Daichi thought. _Me?_

“Did you want to see me for something?” Daichi tried to stir up conversation to shift the awkward and uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

“How rude of us, Iwa-chan!” the brunet boy punched the other boy on the arm in a jokey manner. “Forgetting to introduce ourselves, how could we?” Something told Daichi that the boy was being sarcastic, but he said nothing.

“Right,” ‘Iwa-chan’ said gruffly. “I’m Iwaizumi Hajime, class president of Class 3-4. This here –” he indicated to the boy on his right, with a mess of black hair that covered one of his eyes, “- is Kuroo Tetsurou, captain of our volleyball team. Like you, he’s also from Tokyo, but he joined in our first year.”

“Nice to meet you,” Daichi said to Kuroo.

“Same here,” he grinned, but not making any movement toward Daichi.

“This idiot here,” Iwaizumi moved his arm to indicate at the first boy, “is-”

“Oikawa Tooru, head of countermeasures,” Oikawa cut in, still grinning. “He’s just joking, I’m not an idiot, Sawamura-san!”

_…Countermeasures?_

Iwaizumi continued on as if Oikawa hadn’t interrupted. “We were told that you were transferring to our class, but you’d fallen sick. How are you feeling?”

“I’m doing okay, thank you. Recovering right on schedule. Nurse Tanaka says I should be able to join the class sometime in early May,” Daichi told them.

“That’s good to hear,” the sports captain, Kuroo, spoke up. “Here you go. They’re from everyone.” He thrust a box in front of Daichi’s nose, which is politely accepted; they were a large selection of store-bought chocolates, but the sentiment was the same. Throughout this exchange, however, Daichi was watching Oikawa out of the corner of his eye; as anticipated, that friendly smile had slipped off of his face, taking on a much more intense edge. Still his eyes were fixated on Daichi, as if assessing or analysing him; he recognized the look. During matches, it wasn’t uncommon to size up your opponents to see how much of a challenge they’d give you. Despite never having talked to Oikawa before in his life, the other boy was acting as though he was suspicious of this newcomer, and he could only wonder why. He was certain he wasn’t imagining it. Fortunately, Oikawa hadn’t seemed to pick up on the fact he was being watched in turn.

Weirder still, Daichi noticed Kuroo had stepped back to his original position – the trio kept a respectable distance away from him, an almost informal distance. Maybe they thought it was contagious.

“Consider it a welcome gift,” Hajime spoke up again. “You moved here from Tokyo.”

“I did.”

“And you went to a private school there.”

“Yeah.”

“Why did you transfer?” This was beginning to feel less like friendly curiosity and more like an interrogation, but _whatever for?_

“Family reasons,” Daichi replied, not feeling up to explaining in full. After all, they were theoretically strangers.

“Oh, is this your first time living in Miyagi?” Iwaizumi tried to sound uninterested, but it didn’t really work.

“Well, I guess so. I’ve stayed here before, though.”

“I just thought you could have lived here before if it was for family reasons.”

“So when you were here last, did you stay for a long time?” Oikawa cut in, all smiles again, but his eyes had lost any form of friendliness in them. Those were searching, analytical eyes, and through the warm and open tone, Oikawa’s voice had a strange edge to it which could have made Daichi intimidated, but due to his experiences as captain to his volleyball team back in Tokyo, he was a pro at keeping up appearances.

“I couldn’t tell you, sorry,” he rubbed the back of his head almost as though he was abashed. “I was just a little kid at the time, so it’s kind of fuzzy. Maybe.” At that, Hajime and Oikawa exchanged an unreadable look – one of an understanding that didn’t include Daichi. But before he could ponder it much further, Kuroo stepped in front of them, an envelope in his hand.

“Yo. This is from my buddy Kenma.” Daichi opened it cautiously, seeing several sheets of paper. “It’s notes for all the stuff you missed. We heard that you might be in here for a bit, so we thought we’d bring you some of our notes so you can keep up when you’re feeling better.”

“Oh, thank you very much. That was nice of him,” Daichi thanked the other boy, who had moved back into place. Iwaizumi and Oikawa were no longer looking at each other; somehow, Daichi felt like he’d missed something crucial.

“You know, Sawamura-san,” Oikawa’s curious voice cut the momentary silence that had settled. “Isn’t it kind of weird that you got sick so suddenly?”

“I guess so. Usually I’m a healthy kind of guy.”

“I bet nobody expected it!” Now his voice was easy-breezy, but on his face were the hints of suspicion. “Stuff like collapsed lungs happens to old people and those with high-flying stressful careers, so for it to happen for our guy our age is… scary!” The cheeky grin was back. “So I really hope you get better soon!”

“Right, thank you very much. You needn’t worry.”

Another awkward pause ensued until Iwaizumi tried to break it. “Uh, Sawamura-san…” his voice petered off as he clearly had nothing to say.

“Sawamura-san.” Unsurprisingly, Oikawa, the most social of the three, broke the silence again. “Your first name’s Daichi, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then, could we call you by your first name?” A friendly smile broke out on his face.

“It’s not a problem.”

“Hey, Sawa- Daichi-san,” Kuroo sounded genuinely interested, even moving forward slightly. “Azumane tells us you guys play volleyball together.”

“That we do,” Daichi laughed a little bit. “I was part of my old high school’s team, actually.”

“Oh, then you’d really like our class. Practically everyone is involved in volleyball one way or another,” Kuroo shrugged. “It brings the class together, you know. Helps us work like a team.”

“I’ve actually been considering making an actual team for our school! Would you be interested?” Oikawa broke in. “Azumane tells us that you’re quite talented!”

“He gives me too much credit, but sure, I’d be happy to help you out.”

“Then, Daichi-san,” Oikawa extended a hand towards him, “I look forward to playing with you.”

 _A handshake? Kind of unnecessary out of matches, but…_ “Yeah. Same here.” He politely took the offered hand and shook it firmly. Oikawa’s skin was cold to the touch, but considering he’d been outside in the blustery and generally cold spring weather, it could be excusable. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the other two gazing almost intensely at their hands, as if they were expecting something terrible to happen. That sense of uneasiness drifted back into his mind again, recalling Asahi’s fear, and the strange questions that they had asked him.

Iwaizumi was the first to head to the door, Kuroo following him. Only once they’d opened the door, they froze in their tracks; Kuroo walked straight into Iwaizumi’s back, and it would have been funny, had they not looked so grave. Hajime gestured roughly with his head pointing outward and started mumbling something to Kuroo in an agitated whisper. The latter’s face also took on a serious look, one that didn’t seem normal for someone who’d been grinning and smiling throughout the whole visit, despite the seriousness of the other two. To Daichi, it sounded like he said something like “ _he’s_ here,” and a lot more that he didn’t quite catch. Oikawa, eyes still on Daichi, noticed the other’s point of focus and turned to look at the duo.

“Everything okay over there, Iwa-chan?” he tried to joke, but his face clouded over when Iwaizumi tapped his nose twice, in a code beyond Daichi’s understanding. “Hey, Daichi-san!” the cheery brown-haired boy stepped in front of Daichi’s line of sight of the other two, meaning he would have to crane his neck to look at them, which would have been far too obvious. What he’d said before was true – Oikawa Tooru wasn’t an idiot. “I’ve got an idea; I could help you catch up with your work! I could run home and get my homework, so at least I could make some progress too. How about it?” All of the strange secretive gestures seemed to have stopped all at once.

Daichi resolved himself to believe he was being ridiculous; perhaps this was the effect of the general seclusion of being in a hospital, and furthermore, he couldn’t start off his school year by suspecting his classmates and future teammates. Even Asahi had compared the class to a team, and Daichi had to comply in order to make the team work as effectively as possible.

“That’s kind of you to say so, Oikawa-san, but don’t feel obliged. I’m sure Asahi will help me out.”

“If you insist, Daichi-san! But if you need any help at all with anything, please don’t hesitate to ask me.”

 _Somehow, I don’t think he’s just talking about schoolwork…_ Daichi mused to himself, watching them all leave, as if they all had the same important business to attend to. Still, Iwaizumi’s words confused him.

Who was _he_ and why were they scared of _him_?

+++

Once they’d left, he’d returned the original state of boredom he’d been in before Asahi had arrived. Only this time, he had a couple of well-thumbed manga Asahi had dropped off, and the disproportionate amount of money he’d left behind. Well, he may as well spend some of it so Asahi would feel like he’d done a good deed, even if Daichi considered it unnecessary. Still, he should ask a doctor if he’d be okay to be up on his feet, so he called for one.

Once the doctor had given him the a-okay, Daichi was allowed to stretch his legs for half an hour or so around the hospital. He may as well; it felt like he hadn’t moved in forever. He was under strict instructions to return to the room or seek assistance if his chest began to bother him again, and with that, he was given free roam of the building. Using the money Asahi left him (judging from the amount of it, it was the poor guy’s weekly allowance) he could get something from the vending machine, and he had every intention of spending it very sparingly as to return it. Asahi probably felt the need to pay him compensation to apologize for a mistake he hadn’t made.

As he was walking on the corridor on the top floor of the hospital, the sound of a cart clattering loudly distracted his attention, as he looked up to see Tanaka Saeko chasing after a cart of supplies. Upon seeing him, her face split into a smile as she waved at him whilst running. “Sawamuraaa! Stop that cart for me!”

“Say what?!” Daichi barely had chance to respond fully as he swung around to stop the cart from crashing, using his fairly muscular arms to stop the weight of it, stopping it dead in his tracks. The mere effort of this winded him slightly, almost like he’d been running around for half an hour.

“Awesome! Nice catch, city boy!” Saeko cheered as she reached him, almost as out of breath as he was. “Jeez, that scared the hell outta me! You really saved me there! Thanks a bunch!” she slapped his shoulder. “Still, it’s a problem for me. That keeps happening.”

 _I wonder why_ , Daichi wanted to say, but didn’t, not wanting to offend the nurse.

“Oh, hey, you’re up and about already?” the nurse changed the topic, clearly surprised to see him.

“Yeah, the doctor said I should be okay for a little bit, and that I’ll be recovered in no time at all.”

“That’s great news! You mustn’t be too careless, though, got it? Absolutely no vigorous physical activity!” _Is she being serious right now? Telling me that after I have to stop her haywire cart?_ “My little bro never listens to the doctor’s advice and he always ends up in a worse way!”

“You have a little brother?” Daichi asked, still trying to get his breath back.

“Oh, you betcha. He’s called Ryuunosuke. Ryuu for short. I think he goes to your school, actually!”

“Well, if he does, I wouldn’t know about it. I haven’t been yet.”

“Crap, yeah, I forgot. That kind of sucks, Sawamura. I bet you’re missing out on loads!” she grinned, taking hold of the cart. “Anyways. I gotta get back to work. If my boss catches me slacking off talking to a patient, he’ll hit the roof. See ya round!”

“Yeah, see you.” Briefly, Daichi wondered if all nurses were as lively and eccentric as Saeko, and if they were, he was very worried. Then, he shrugged to himself, and continued on to the vending machine, wondering if he had the drink he usually got from them after sports games. Man, he missed Tokyo.

After getting his drink (which they did stock, to his surprise) as well as a snack, he was fairly exhausted, and his chest was beginning to send shooting pains throughout his body. Considering his room was on the second floor and he was currently on the eighth, he decided against walking down six flights of stairs. Almost incidentally, the elevator pinged open as an elderly patient shuffled out, bowing their head at Daichi as he entered. As soon as he pressed the button for Floor 2, the doors shut in front of him.

Just then, he realised that someone else was stood behind him. “Oh, excuse me,” he said quickly, moving to the side. The other person didn’t respond, and continued to look fixedly at their feet. On their uniform was emblazoned the sigil for Miyagi High, meaning that this person was about his age. In one of his hands was a bouquet of flowers – _visiting a girlfriend, maybe?_ – but the most noticeable thing about him would be the silver hair on his head that was almost… well… _beautiful_. Daichi hadn’t seen anything like that back in Tokyo, and it looked too well done to be a dye. It was stunning, anyway. “Are you a Miyagi High student too?” He could at least attempt small talk; perhaps this person was in his class too.

The boy said nothing, just nodded his head politely. _Not a talkative type, huh?_ Daichi mused inwardly as he watched the numbers light up above the door. **7…6…5…3…2…** They were moving past his floor, and moving towards the basement levels. It was only then he noticed that the B2 button was illuminated.

“Do you have something to do on the second basement level?” he asked politely, wondering if the second attempt could illicit a response from the boy. What was in the second basement…?

“I do,” the boy answered, almost quietly. Like he was scared of his own voice. “Just a delivery.” the boy explained, his voice slightly louder this time. Daichi decided not to press it; it was likely a personal issue for this guy. “My happier self is waiting for me.”

_…What?_

Then, the elevator arrived and the door opened; a quiet automated voice announced they were at Floor B2. Slowly, the silver-haired boy exited, and Daichi watched him go. Peering around from the doors and preventing them from closing, he called after the strange boy. “Hey! Wait a second!” The boy stopped dead in his tracks, and looked over his shoulder at Daichi. His eyes, like his hair, were silver, and sparkled slightly with an indescribable emotion. “What’s… your name?”

The boy turned away from him again and continued to walk away.

“Koushi. Sugawara Koushi.”

Briefly, he looked at the sign attached to the ceiling, as to tell visitors what was on the floor; the sight made a cold feeling flood through him, to the extent that for a brief moment, he couldn’t feel his chest pain.

**MEMORIAL CHAPEL / MORGUE - >**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Missing out the number 4 in the elevator was intentional, as in Japanese hospitals, 4 is skipped due to "shi" which is also "death". I would like to apologize for any mistakes I've made! English isn't my first tongue!


	3. May ; transfer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a month of recuperating in hospital, Daichi finally attends his new school, where something seems amiss...

A loud ringing sound woke Sawamura Daichi up, much to his annoyance. Rolling over to the alarm clock on his bedside table at the Azumane’s house told him that it was little before 6:00, and the source of the ringing was his mobile phone, and it was his father calling.

“Good morning, Dai!” his father greeted him enthusiastically, as always.

“Dad,” Daichi returned the greeting. “What time do you think it is over here?”

“6:00? It’s about ten pm here, so consider this your go-get- ‘em call!” through the enthusiastic tones, his father sounded tired, Daichi noted. “You’re starting school today, aren’t you? How are you feeling?”

“I’m feeling fine. You don’t have to worry about me.”

“Glad to hear it! A collapsed lung shouldn’t be such a big deal, I had one when I was your age too!”

“You did?”

“Didn’t I tell you? Oh, well, I guess I didn’t want anybody telling you it’s hereditary. It might be, but after it happened a couple of times, I was right as rain. You’ll grow out of it, I’m sure.”

“Either way, I’m not going to worry about it.”

“That’s my boy! What’s it like in Miyagi?”

“Well, last night –”

_“The Miyagi Myths? What’s that meant to mean?” Daichi had asked his friend when he brought up the topic_

_“Oh, ri-right,” Asahi was messing with what was left of his dinner on his plate. “I was really busy with club stuff and homework that I didn’t get to visit you a whole lot, so I never got to tell you the stuff about our school and class, if you don’t mind.”_

_“No, it sounds interesting, go ahead.”_

_“Oh, okay. They’re silly little superstitions, but try to, uh, stick to them, you know? Like the phrase, uh, ‘when in Rome’…”_

_“I’ll try to remember them,” Daichi promised in an attempt to calm his friend’s hyperactive nerves._

_“Right. Good. Thanks, Daichi. Um, well…” Asahi held up a finger. “ **First. If you’re on the roof and you hear a crow cawing, you have to go back into the building with your left foot**.” _

_“What happens if you go in with your right?”_

_“Just go in with your left, man!” Asahi looked significantly worried, so Daichi waved him down. “And, uh, **second. Since we’re in the third year, you have to make sure not to fall down the stairs on the third floor**.” _

_Daichi was beginning to understand a little bit – if you break the first, you’d get hurt or something along those lines, and if you break the second, you could fail your exams. “ **Third. Don’t ever knock on the third cubicle door in any bathroom**.” _

_“Because of Hanako-san?”_

_“No, they say that Kashima Reiko is in the girl’s bathrooms, and the boys have Aka Manto. You’re screwed if you knock on the door…”_

_“Do you honestly believe that, Asahi?”_

_“You don’t?”_

_“Ghosts aren’t real, Asahi.”_

_At that, Asahi had shuddered. “I… I guess not.” He didn’t sound utterly convinced, but it was none of Daichi’s business. “ **The last thing is that at all costs, you must obey whatever the class decides**.” The tone of Asahi’s voice made it Daichi’s turn to shudder at how severe it was._

_“That seems… a lot more realistic than the other three…”_

_“I guess that’s kind of how it is around here. Like, the class is your team, you know? It’s important that you work altogether.”_

“Uh… Dai? Hello?” He’d fallen quiet. “Did something happen last night?”

“No, I just thought it was funny, but thinking about it, it’s not so good. It’s nothing.”

“Oh, uh, if you’re sure. Tell the Azumanes I said hi.”

“Will do.”

+++

Asahi and Daichi ate their breakfast in silence, most likely from how tired they both were from being woken up by Daichi’s father’s phone call. The incident in the hospital had not been so much as mentioned, and Daichi didn’t particularly feel like bringing it up, especially so early in the morning. Still, it had been strange to say the least. What if those people were bullying Asahi? He was shy and low enough in self-esteem as it was! And that guy, Oikawa, certainly knew how to play mind games.

Surprisingly, Asahi was the one to bring up the trio that had visited Daichi. “Um. Oikawa-san messaged me last night.”

“Saying what?” Ever since that first meeting, Daichi hadn’t seen Oikawa again, despite his promise to help him catch up with work. Saying that, though, Daichi had refused the offer, so that could be the reason Oikawa had done a no-show.

“The tactics team want to talk to you at some point today.” At that, he suddenly developed an intense interest in his orange juice, as he began staring down into the glass, avoiding Daichi’s gaze.

“Tactics team? Is that something to do with volleyball?” 

“Not really. It’s just the tactics team. Kuroo-san’s in it, though,” Asahi informed him, not really answering the pressing question. “Kuroo-san plays volleyball.”

“Don’t a lot of people in our class play volleyball?” Daichi pointed out.

“Yeah, that’s true. But, uh, the tactics team doesn't really, uh, have anything to do with volleyball,” Asahi’s face and voice told Daichi he was choosing his words carefully; either he was trying to hide something, or someone else had given him a gag order. In all likelihood it was the latter, and Daichi had a good idea of who had given it.

“Is it do with Oikawa-san being the head of _countermeasures_?”

At that word, Asahi visibly stiffened, but ever so slightly. “That’s a part of it,” he agreed.

“Are you going to tell me what it is, or…?”

“Oikawa said he’ll explain everything, ‘cause he’s in charge. Class policy and all that.”

“I see. You haven’t told me what it is yet.”

“I’m not allowed to.” His voice was so low Daichi almost didn’t hear him. That confirmed his suspicions – it was a gag order from Oikawa. He should have known. Well, whatever, he may as well try and think about the situation in a positive light; at least he would be told the crux of the matter later on that day. Idly, Daichi wondered if the strange, sad boy he met in the elevator was in his class, too. He knew that he attended the same school, but whether they were in the class was yet another matter. Yesterday, he’d seemed kind of lonely; maybe Daichi could change that. After all, wasn’t being friends with someone also part of being in a team?

“Why can’t you? I mean, we’re friends. You can trust me – we’re a team.”

“It’s something I can’t talk to you about, at least not until you hear from Oikawa-san. I’m sorry for not telling you, man, really, but I just can’t. Rule number four, you know. And he made me promise not to…” _Oh, right_. Of all people, Asahi was one of the most loyal, and never broke his word, regardless of who he’d made it with.

Despite this, his answer baffled Daichi; he hadn’t really been expecting it, and it irked him slightly, but he tried to calm the raging questions he wanted to ask. “Still, it’s a little strange. Not being able to talk to me about it, I mean.”

“Believe me, man, if I could tell you, I would,” Asahi sounded slightly guilty, and Daichi felt bad about pressing the issue further. “Just trust me, okay?”

“Of course I trust you. We’re friends.”

“Oikawa-san will tell you, so maybe we could get to school early so you can find him before classes start.” Asahi had tried to smile as if in apology, and was likely trying to help ease Daichi’s unease best he could. For Asahi’s sake, Daichi could go along with it.

+++

_“Hey, it’s today, right? That guy?”_

_“Yeah, but it’s not him, I thought? Oikawa-san checked.”_

_“But that’s hardly a surefire way to tell, is it?”_

_“But…”_

_“I can’t believe that Oikawa isn’t here, of all days!”_

_“Well, what can you do? Guess we just have to wait and see.”_

_“Yeah…”_

At the front of the class, stood next to the teacher, it was hard to feel self-conscious with everyone’s eyes glued to him. In an attempt to save face, Daichi kept his face as calm as possible, internally pretending that he was about to enter a particularly difficult game. The homeroom teacher, Takeda-sensei, addressed the class. “Have we all recovered from Golden Week?”

There was a unanimous groan which could have meant anything between ‘yeah’ or ‘no’, but Takeda-sensei merely laughed.

“Today, let’s begin by introducing our transfer student!” he indicated to Daichi.

Offering his classmates, a fellow smile, Daichi introduced himself. “Hello. My name is Sawamura Daichi. It’s nice to meet you.” Not a single one of them returned his smile; not even Kuroo. _What a weird atmosphere_ , Daichi thought to himself, but kept his thoughts off of his face.

“Alright then, Sawamura-kun. Let’s have you sit over there, behind Haiba-kun,” Takeda-sensei pointed at a seat at the back of the room in the middle of two people. “Well then, class – I want everyone to be kind to Sawamura-kun, and treat him like he’s part of the Class 3-4 _team_.” There it was again, that word _team_ – somewhere deep inside, Daichi was beginning to think that it had a different dimension than the one he was used to. “We could all pitch in to make this last year of high school the best one it can be, and so that next year in March, every person in this class can graduate in good health…”

But Daichi had stopped listening to the teacher, because out of the corner of his eye, he saw _him_.

Koushi. Sugawara Koushi.

The boy wasn’t looking at anyone, or saying anything; if anything, he was staring fixedly at his desk, eyes unwavering. The sunlight made his silver hair look even more magical than it had in the dingy light of the elevator.

It seemed impossible to grab his attention to even offer him a mere smile, so he decided to focus on the lesson that had gone immediately underway. It was relatively boring – it had already been covered at his last school – and it was through sheer willpower that he managed to not fall asleep. In the back of his mind was a niggling doubt, however, about the room and class he was currently in. He imagined a public high school to be a little bit rowdier place; even his old class had been noisier than this one. The silence was almost smothering. Formality, a strange tension… almost as if… as if everyone was preoccupied by something. That’s what it felt like to Daichi.

+++

Lunchtime rolled around, and after all of the fuss that morning, Oikawa wasn’t in class. After a quick search, Asahi shuffled up to his friend sheepishly. “It, er… seems that he’s not here today. He contacted Iwaizumi-san this morning and said he wasn’t feeling well. So…”

Daichi eyed his best friend disbelievingly, relaxing the arms folded across his chest with a deep sigh. “I’m gonna take it I’m not going to have that talk with him today.”

“Probably not. Sorry,” Asahi looked saddened, so Daichi clapped him on the shoulder, grin in place.

“Don’t mind! You could introduce me to everyone, though.”

“E-Everyone?!” He stuttered, clearly surprised, and also clearly worrying about talking to a large group of people.

“Well, just whoever you usually hang out with, then.”

“Oh. Okay. Sure!”

Asahi waved Daichi into the classroom, and guided him to a pair of boys lounging on one table. One of them, Daichi recognized. It would be nearly impossible to not see – or hear, for that matter – Nishinoya Yuu, who he’d met over the summer, who was Asahi’s self-proclaimed best friend. Often, Daichi had caught him wondering about what kept those two together, considering how different they were in nearly all aspects, but if Asahi liked and trusted Yuu, then Daichi supposed he had to, too. “Good afternoon."

At Asahi’s voice the boys looked up. “Yo! Asahi!” one with a shaved head greeted the tall boy enthusiastically before catching sight of Daichi. Almost immediately, his face darkened as she put his face close to Daichi’s as if trying to stare into his eyes, or sizing him up in the most unsubtle way as possible. Was he trying to scare him?

“Ryuu, what are you doing?!” Yuu laughed at the strange behaviour.

“You can tell a lot about people by looking into their eyes, man, haven’t you heard?” After three more uncomfortable seconds, Ryuu leant back, and his face split into a grin. “He’s passed the test; s’pose we can keep him!”

Nishinoya glared at the taller boy, before rolling his eyes. “As if we were ever going to get rid of him in the first place, Ryuu!” he shook his head with a laugh. “Sorry about him, Sawamura. That’s Tanaka Ryuunosuke, but everyone calls him Ryuu.”

“Oh, you’re Saeko-san’s little brother?”

“You know my sister?!” At once the smile had dropped again, and he was glowering. “I’m onto you, man.”

“W-What?” His continued strange behaviour continued to confuse Daichi, but Nishinoya was having enough of it.

“Ryuu, that’s enough, quit messing around,” he pulled the back of his friend’s shirt. “Sorry about him. Again. He and his sister are pretty close, so…” He glanced up at the somewhat delinquent boy. “Plus, Ryuu’s our group’s idiot, and proud.”

“You bet I am!” Tanaka banged his chest in pride, as if not realising he’d just been insulted. _Well_ , Daichi thought, _this class certainly has some characters_. “Hey, Asahi, have you introduced Sawamura-san to Shimizu-san yet?”

“N-No, not yet,” Asahi admitted coyly.

“Okay, good, but Sawamura-san…” Ryuu leant in again. “Me and Noya were here first, so back off.”

“Uh… alright,” Daichi rubbed the back of his head, once more left completely and utterly confused by Tanaka Ryuunosuke. “I’ll… stay away…?”

“Then we’re good, man,” Ryuu nodded, as if in agreement with something. “You’re a good guy, city boy!”

“ _Shitty boy_?” a snigger rose up from behind Daichi’s back, and the four turned to see who had spoken. Stood there was a tall, somewhat thin blonde boy in glasses, a smug look on his face that seemed to warrant a stormy one on Tanaka’s face. “Isn’t that a little bit insulting, _Tanaka-senpai_?”

These people were confusing, Daichi had established. Why was this boy calling Tanaka _senpai_ if they were the same age?

“Oi, don’t call me _senpai_. It’s weird comin’ from you,” Tanaka growled gruffly, clearly annoyed by the other’s presence.

“R-right. This is Tsukishima Kei –” Asahi tried to speak up, but was cut across

“Nice to meet you, _shitty boy_ ,” Tsukishima smirked again, clearly looking down at Tanaka, whose annoyance was clear to see.

“Same here.”

Behind him, the silent Sugawara, whom nobody had even attempted to talk to (not that he’d made any attempt to talk to them in turn, either), stood up from his desk, gathering his belongings, and began to stalk silently out of the room. Nobody even turned to watch him go, and the path he took was one that didn’t force interactions with others. It seemed… strange, at the very least. “Hey, Asahi, I’m just going to say hi to-”

He never finished speaking, as he quickly followed Sugawara. Before he could so much as even get to the door, the way was blocked by a positively tiny boy with a mess of ginger hair. “Woah! Are you the transfer guy?!” His brown eyes were dancing with amazement and excitement, though Daichi had no idea why.

“Yes, that’s me,” Daichi nodded.

“That’s so cool! I’m Hinata Shouyou!” The boy barely wasted any breath before launching into a series of questions. “What’s Tokyo like? Why did you transfer here? Are you staying with Azumane-san? Are you going back? Did you really play volleyball? What’s it like playing volleyball in Tokyo? Were you the ace? Were you the captain? What position were you? I’m a deco-”

“Oi, dumbass, give it a rest,” a tired-sounded voice cut across Hinata’s string of questions, as a black-haired boy, clearly a friend of Hinata’s whacked him on the head, ending his never-ending questions. Maybe it shouldn’t have been such a surprise that Hinata was as happy to see Daichi as he was; in a town this far out, he imagined very little ever changed.

“You’re so mean, Kageyama!” Hinata rubbed his head, pouting and glowering at Kageyama, who seemed to be purposefully looking away from him.

“You should try calming down sometime,” Kageyama rolled his eyes. “Kageyama Tobio.” _Oh, that was his name_ , Daichi realised after a few seconds, before giving his own in return. With the pleasantries out the way, Daichi attempted looking for Sugawara again, about to turn away, when Hinata piped up again.

“Hey, why don’t we show you around the school?! I bet you’d get totally lost! It would be tough not knowing where stuff is!”

“Uh, sure, that would be great,” Daichi gratefully accepted, though in peripheral vision, he thought he saw Kageyama mouth the words _nice cover_ at the overly-enthused Hinata.

After a while of walking around the Miyagi South campus with the two friends and their near-constant bickering (though none of it seemed particularly malicious), Daichi had a fairly good understanding of their dynamic. Since they were a part of his team now, as it were, it would be good practice to get a good sense of class dynamics. “So, uh… have you guys been hanging out for a long time?”

“We’ve been friends since first year!” Hinata informed him happily.

“Friends wouldn’t have been the word I’d have chosen,” Kageyama chipped in, irking Hinata.

“You’re so horrible, Kageyama!” Hinata frowned. “He used to be a lot grumpier, Daichi-san, so you’re lucky. He was always like ‘ _dumbass! Idiot! Dumbass_!’ And he was always frowning. He and Oikawa used to have this massive rivalry and he was just ‘ _run faster! Spike better-_ ”

 _He sounded like quite the dictator,_ Daichi thought to himself.

“So, Sawamura-san, have you gotten over what you were in the hospital for?” Kageyama’s voice drowned out Hinata’s anecdote.

“Yes, thank you.”

“Quit ignoring me! That hurts!” Hinata protested feebly. “But, uh, hey! Daichi-san!”

“What’s up?”

“Do you believe in ghosts? Or curses?” He sounded as passionate as he had done when asking all those questions about volleyball before; Daichi wagered that it would take a lot to ever dampen the boys constantly chipper disposition. Yet it was a weird question, Daichi had to pause for a minute, which Hinata took to mean he hadn’t understood. “You know what I mean! Like the kind that go ‘ooooooo’ and ‘boo’!”

“What he means is the paranormal,” Kageyama rolled his eyes, likely at the other boy. “Stuff that scientists can’t explain. Weird stuff.”

“Yeah! Like really weird!” Hinata emphasised.  

What was with these two all of a sudden?

“I mean, hitting me with stuff like that, I guess… I don’t really buy into all of that?” Daichi shrugged. Being raised in the centre of a city and away from a lot of religion had made him greet superstitions with a cynical eye, but he supposed life was different out in the sticks.

“No matter what?” Kageyama pressed.

“Well, I mean, if a ghost just popped up in front of me, and it had proof that it was a ghost, then maybe I would believe in it.”

“Proof?” Kageyama tilted his head, before looking at Hinata, who looked as dumbfounded as he did. Clearly they hadn’t been anticipating that answer, and Daichi wondered if he should say much more.

Even so, the random change in topic spooked him out, just a little bit. Maybe people here liked the paranormal as much as they did volleyball; maybe he should read a little bit up about it, or maybe he should ask Asahi when they got home later.

In his peripheral vision, barely noticeable, he saw a flash of silver, and remembered. _Sugawara. I wanted to talk to him._ All by himself again, Sugawara was perched under the tree in the centre of the school courtyard, and from where Daichi was standing, it looked like he was reading a book. _By himself…?_ Daichi wondered why he spent so much time alone, when most people in the class were friendly. At least, those who he’d encountered seemed like perfectly good people.

“Excuse me,” he bowed quickly to the two boys who were muttering furiously about _proof_ , and jogged to where Sugawara was, ignoring the calls of ‘Oi!’ and ‘Daichi-san!’ “Hey, there.” He greeted Sugawara as politely, but he didn’t respond. Perhaps he hadn’t heard him, Daichi thought, which was kind of adorable that he’d gotten so engrossed in his book. “Um, your name is Sugawara-kun, right?” Still nothing. “I transferred to your class today so I wanted to say hello-”

“Why?” Sugawara said, looking at him, his hazel eyes searching his face, closing his book hurriedly as he stood up.

“What do you..?”

“Why?” he asked again, sounding a little bit sad. “Are you sure? Sawamura-kun? Are you sure about this?”

“What are you –”

Sugawara began to walk away then, not even looking back at Daichi. Then, almost as if Daichi had imagined it, his voice floated over again. “You should be careful, Sawamura-kun.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave any comments you may have, criticism is very welcome since I am still learning!


	4. May ; rooftop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His first day only gets stranger as Daichi finally succeeds in talking to Sugawara.

After lunch was gym class, which Daichi had to sit out of, since the doctors had warned him against any vigorous physical activity until he was given the all-clear. Unfortunately, his next appointment was at the end of the month, so he would just have to wait on the sidelines for now. Thinking positively, perhaps this could be an opportunity for him to see the strengths and weaknesses of his classmates.

Leading the class and barking what sounded like the semblance of orders for various training drills that Daichi was more than familiar with was Kuroo. Sat on the benches behind him were two girls, which meant that they had to be the managers of the class’s team. Furthermore, the only ones who seemed to be putting actual effort into the training drills were Hinata, Nishinoya and Tanaka, and that was only because they were having a contest of some sort. At one side, Iwaizumi had pulled two boys away from the main group; from where he was sat, he looked like he was scolding them for something.

In the back of Daichi’s mind, Sugawara’s words still echoed, making it hard to concentrate much. _You should be careful, Sawamura-kun._

 _Careful of what?_ What was he meant to be careful about? He didn’t understand.

“You look like you want to join in, Sawamura-san,” a timid soft voice spoke up behind him. Daichi looked up to see a boy with shaggy brown hair and an explosion of freckles across his cheeks moving to sit on the bench next to him.

“Yes, I used to play volleyball back in Tokyo,” Daichi replied. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I caught your name.”

“Oh, it’s Yamaguchi. Tadashi,” Yamaguchi looked embarrassed, though Daichi had no idea why. “What’s it like? Playing volleyball?”

“You’ve never played?”

“I guess I sort of have,” he mumbled. “I just don’t have a lot of endurance for games. Most of the time they designate me as pinch server, but when I’m playing, the other five have to work harder.”

“A pinch server’s a pretty good position,” Daichi tried to comfort his fellow student. “A pinch server in my old team could rack up loads of points for us if we were ever in a bind.”

“I guess so, but I can’t play for very long without feeling tired,” Yamaguchi didn’t sound very confident, Daichi noted. “I’m the same as you. This is my first day too.”

“It is? So you transferred as well?”

“No, no, I just missed the first month of this year; I was a first year and second year at this school. Heart problems kept me away though,” he put a hand to his chest. “Tsukki didn’t let me fall behind though, so I don’t think I missed too much.”

“Tsukki?” Wasn’t the name Kuroo had given him in the hospital _Kenma_?

“Oh, right,” Yamaguchi scanned the players and pointed to one of them. “That one there with the glasses. His real name’s Tsukishima, but I call him Tsukki.”

Oh, right, the guy bickering with Tanaka that morning. His personality seemed a lot harsher than the somewhat soft Yamaguchi. “A friend of yours?”

“Yep! We’ve been friends since we were kids,” Yamaguchi grinned. "Were you looking at the managers?"

"Sort of. A good manager is important to keep a team working effectiv-"

"Yacchan's pretty cute, right?"

"Yacchan?" Had Yamaguchi given a nickname to everyone in the class? 

"The blonde girl. She's really friendly and smart." 

"The other one would be Kiyoko, right? Tanaka and Noya were talking about her today."

"Yep! Those two make up the Shimizu Kiyoko defence squad."

He had no idea how to respond to that, so he kept quiet for a little while. 

“Why’s Iwaizumi-san yelling at those two?” Daichi inclined his head to the two boys that were being thoroughly told off. At that, Yamaguchi laughed into his hand.

“Iwaizumi-san is always telling off someone during gym class,” he answered, “because he thinks that they’re not always performing as well as they could be doing.”

“He’s not wrong,” Daichi pointed out.

“Hmm. Usually he yells at those two, though. I think they all went to the same middle school, so I figure that they’re used to it. I don’t really think Kyoutani-san cares about volleyball that much. He isn’t really a team player. The other one is Kindaichi-san, but everyone calls him Turnip Head.”

 _That seems… kinda harsh…_ Daichi thought to himself.

“They’re good players though,” Yamaguchi continued. “Turnip-san is pretty consistent, but Kyoutani-san is a bit of a wild card. He scares me a little bit.” The two lapsed into a comfortable silence. “I want to be able to play like those two, and Tsukki, one day.”

“Don’t give up - you’ll definitely be able to,” Daichi said. “You don’t have to make massive leaps, or even push yourself too hard. Just take small steps.”

“Thank you,” Yamaguchi said. “I’ll…yeah. One day, maybe.” At that, he gave a little wince, and stood up, as if his bones ached. A clawed hand was placed over his chest, where his heart should be. “I’m going to go to the nurse’s office and lie down for a little –”

“Hey, are you alright? Do you want me to escort you?”

“No, no, don’t worry about it,” Yamaguchi waved him down. “It happens all the time.” With that, he limped off, Daichi watching him go.

“Sawamura-kun?” another voice distracted him, and he looked up to see Kuroo standing above him.

“Oh, Kuroo-san. Taking a break?”

“You bet,” Kuroo laughed. “Where did Yamaguchi-san go?”

“He said he wasn’t feeling well, so he went to the nurse’s office.”

“Huh, hope he feels okay soon,” he shrugged, watching the rest of the class running around the track. Iwaizumi had stopped yelling at Kyoutani and Turnip Head and had moved onto an extremely tall silver haired boy, who didn’t seem to understand he was in trouble.

“Hey, could you tell me something?”

“Sure, what’s wrong?”

“Why aren’t there two class groups in this gym period? Back in Tokyo, we usually shared gym with another group.”

“Well, we have an odd number of classes. Classes 1 and 2 go together, and so do Classes 3 and 5. They don’t include Class 4, ‘cause they think it’s some kind of bad omen.”

“They’re superstitious around these parts,” Daichi ventured.

“Definitely,” Kuroo laughed at some joke Daichi didn’t understand. It didn’t sound like a particularly joyous laugh; it seemed sort of hollow. “Hey, you were hanging out with Hinata-kun and Kageyama-san at lunch, right?”

“Yes, I was.”

“Did they… say anything?” Kuroo waved his arm in the air, as if for emphasis.

“Not really. They gave me a helpful tour of the school, though.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

“Good, good,” he was grinning again, and he patted Daichi’s shoulder. “We just gotta be careful until Tooru-kun comes back.” It was weird how much the class was dependent on Oikawa, especially since he was just head of countermeasures; wasn’t the one in charge Iwaizumi, the class president? Or were these countermeasures more important than the class president? Daichi left these fears unvoiced, and simply watched the group run in silence with Kuroo.

“Um, Kuroo-san, I’ve actually been wondering something,” Daichi said.

“What’s that? If it’s about the team, I’m your guy!” he jerked a proud thumb to his chest.

“It sort of is,” Daichi shrugged. “Where’s Sugawara-san?”

Next to him, Kuroo tensed, and for a second his eyes widened. Then, he relaxed, and grinned, like nothing had even happened. “Who?” he asked with a grin.

“You know. The boy named Sugawara Koushi. He has silver hair…”

“What? Who’re you talking about?” Kuroo had arched one of his eyebrows in confusion, grin fixed firmly in place, and clearly fake.

“I just don’t see him. Is he sitting out too?” Before Kuroo could answer him, the sound of thunder cracking across the sky, forcing the pair of them to glance upwards. Ever so briefly, Daichi caught sight of a figure stood atop the roof; though his face couldn’t be seen clearly, the dusty silver hair was unmistakable. Without thinking much about it, his feet began to move almost entirely on their own towards the building.

“Oi! Sawamura!” Kuroo yelled behind him, but it fell on deaf ears. Unbeknownst to Daichi, he merely shrugged and went back to getting involved in his class. If the new kid got torn a new one by Oikawa, it wasn’t his fault.

Following the stairs up floor by floor (and getting severely winded by it, in his hurry), he finally came to a door with a sign above it that announced: CAUTION, ENTRY TO ROOF PROHIBITED. Even so, that had done very little, as the door was left ajar. With a shrug, he pushed the door open, producing a horrible creaking noise as he did so; he walked outside, where almost immediately he was hit with a strong buffet of wind, chilling him to the bone. A warning of the coming storm. A little ways away was Sugawara, the wind messing up his hair, yet he didn’t seem to mind, as he watched the clouds quickly covering the morning’s sunshine with an emotionless expression.

Standing a polite distance away from him, Daichi finally called out. “Sugawara-san?”

At first, he thought that yet again Sugawara was ignoring him (which he seemed to be doing to everybody, so he didn’t take it personally) but slowly and surely, he turned his head slightly in her direction, not quite looking at her. “Yes?” his voice could barely be heard over the wind.

 

“Are you alright? I don’t think you’re allowed to be on the roof.”

“You got me, Sawamura-kun,” for the first time, Sugawara smiled. “But you’re not meant to be here, either.”

“You’re right,” Daichi tried his hardest to return the smile.

“Don’t mind, Sawamura-kun. It’ll be fine. Nobody will bother to stop me, I’m sure.”

For a mere moment, Daichi panicked, and thought the other was referring to jumping from the roof. “Stop you from doing what? Sugawara-san, what are you going to do?”

Sugawara quirked an eyebrow, and then smiled again. “I meant nobody would stop me from being on the roof. Did you think I was going to jump?” He laughed then, and though it was a warm, comforting noise, Daichi detected something bitter underneath. “Don’t mind, Sawamura-kun. There wouldn’t be much point in it.”

“I thought I should check up on you. I haven’t seen you since we met in the hospital,” Daichi finally admitted. “You didn’t seem to be well the last time, but it looks like you’re okay now…right?”

“I met you in the hospital?” Sugawara pondered this for a moment. “Sorry, I don’t really remember.” He waved his hand, as if dismissing it. “Hospitals aren’t very nice places to meet someone, so maybe that’s a good thing I don’t really remember.” He looked away then, to the gaggle of students below. “You should be careful of who you talk to in a hospital, Sawamura-kun. You’ll never know if you’ll see them again.” As soon as the smile had arrived it had vanished again, and Sugawara sounded so glum it made Daichi want to cheer him up. Despite addressing him, it seemed that his mind was well away from their current situation.

“I remember you went into the second basement, holding a bouquet of flowers. We were both in the elevator, remember? What were you doing there? You said you were dropping something off, but to who?”

“You ask a lot of questions, Sawamura-kun,” Sugawara simply said.

“Sorry! I wasn’t forcing you to tell me anything, sorry if it came off that way.”

“Just something very sad happened that day for me.” Sugawara glanced at Daichi again, and those hazel eyes were filled with some indescribable sorrow that Daichi felt he could never understand. “That’s probably why I don’t remember, Sawamura-kun.”

“It’s fine, you don’t have to say sorry. I should apologise to you, Sugawara-san.”

Sugawara nodded slowly. “Your name is Sawamura Daichi, right?”

“Just Daichi’s fine.”

“Then I’m Suga. So, Daichi-kun, they haven’t told you yet?”

Somehow, he couldn’t stop the cold feeling that flooded his body. “Told me what?”

“That our school is close to death. And Class 3-4 is much, much closer to it.” On Sugawara’s face was a bitter smile.

“Closer… to _death_?” Daichi echoed, not understanding, and more than slightly afraid.

“You really don’t know anything, Daichi-kun?” Sugawara down again, his eyes looking somewhat saddened. “Nothing at all? Nobody’s told you? Not even Azumane-san?”

“Told me about _what_?”

“Yeah, I thought as much. You don’t know. Oikawa-san will tell you soon enough, I’m sure And…” he bit his lip before turning away and continuing to walk past the threshold of the door, into the building, almost refusing to look at Daichi. “…if you’re a smart person, and I figure that you are, Daichi-san, you won’t try to talk to me anymore. Stick to your studies, and everything should be fine.” He flashed Daichi an enigmatic smile. “Be seeing you, Da-i-chi-kun.”

Before he reached the door, however, somewhere, a crow cawed, a harsh noise against his ear. He froze, remembering one of the ‘rules’ Asahi had told him.

**If you’re on the roof and you hear a crow cawing, you have to go back into the building with your left foot.**

As the rain began to fall from the sky, as another rumble of thunder reverberated around, the door to the rooftop creaked closed, and Suga once again vanished. Daichi let out a breath that he hadn’t known he’d been holding, staring at the static door until he realized that gym class must have started a while ago, and started back to the classroom.

 _Which foot was it, again?_ Daichi wondered. _Oh, right the left._

But didn’t Sugawara go in with his right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, comments and criticisms would be greatly appreciated! Also, this one was a little shorter, as I thought it was a nice place to end it. Please have a nice day!


	5. May ; rumour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The behaviour of his classmates makes it pretty clear that they're hiding something; hence, Daichi takes action to find out the truth.

When Daichi finally returned to the classroom, it was evidently clear that the lesson was well under way. Though Takeda-sensei turned a merciful blind eye to him as he shuffled awkwardly in, it was obvious that Kuroo, who was seated to his left, did not. “Where were you, bro?” he hissed under his breath, not looking up from his notebook.

Since he didn’t particularly want to admit to being on the roof and breaking a school rule, Daichi simply replied: “I just wanted to explore for a bit.”

“Alright, bro,” Kuroo whispered back, sounding a tad uneasy. “Just be careful, aight? You seriously don’t wanna get yourself in even more trouble.”

 _Uh-oh._ That didn’t sound good. But enough was enough, and the cryptic messages from nearly everyone in this damn class was driving him slowly insane, and he replied back in a loud whisper, loud enough that surrounding classmates could have potentially heard: “Kuroo-san. What aren’t you telling me?”

Kuroo shot him a sneaky sideways glance. “What’re you on about, bro?”

“Why this class is _closer to death_ than the rest of them?” he echoed Suga’s words, and Kuroo jolted.

In surprise, he forgot to lower his voice and said: “What?!”

Finally, Takeda-sensei looked up from the book he was copying from and faced the class with a minute frown. “Kuroo-kun, are you alright?”

“Sorry, sensei,” Kuroo rubbed the back of his head. “Just got confused is all. You know kanji ain’t my strong point.” Takeda-sensei gave a little chuckle at that and turned away, but from then on, Kuroo refused to look at or attempt to talk to Daichi until the final bell rang. When he did speak, he was clearly ignoring their previous topic, and it was just to tell Daichi he had to leave early to get to volleyball practice.

Once he stalked off (almost too quickly), Asahi sidled up. “You were late.”

“I was late.”

“Oh, man…” Asahi mumbled. “Um. I have to stay behind for clean-up duty. If you want you can wait until I’m done, or you can go home.”

“Don’t mind, I’ll wait.”

Asahi nodded and walked over to Takeda-sensei to supposedly receive jobs for him to do. Hopefully clean-up didn’t take too long. Hence Daichi resorted to standing just to one side of the door, watching his fellow classmates vacate the room, all chiming their goodbyes. Once the majority of them had cleared out, the blonde manager – Yachi Hitoka, he thought her name was – sidled up to him, glancing from side to side, as if scared. “Um… Sa-Sawamura-san! You, you, uh, didn’t get in trouble did you?” She was stammering and bright red in the face, and staring pointedly at the wall to the right of Daichi’s face.

“No, I didn’t. Please don’t panic, Yachi-san,” Daichi replied, knowing telling someone who was panicking not to panic generally didn’t work. Whilst he did get in a bit of tiff with Kuroo, he wouldn’t really consider that trouble as such.

Surprisingly, Yachi looked… relieved. “Oh, that’s good, that’s really good! It would be really bad, if you, er, got in trouble on your first day! I saw you going to the roof, and I, uh… told Kuroo-san and Shimizu-san that maybe we should… go and look for you, if you, er, didn’t come back, but you did, and it’s all fine, so I guess it was rude that he, uh, snapped at you, I mean, he didn’t have to, I mean, I-” The poor girl was clearly stumbling on her own words, seeming flustered as if guarding what she said, albeit very badly.

“That’s fine, I suppose you were looking out for me,” he paused, before adding, “Thanks, Yachi-san,” as an afterthought.

“It’s okay, Sawa-Sawamura-san! You d-don’t need to thank me!” she waved her hands, but she was smiling all the same. “We should, ah, wait in the hall for clean-up!” With that she danced out, with Daichi, who was shaking his head, following her. She seemed very ditzy, he thought, but friendly enough.

After a couple of seconds of silence whilst they waited outside for their respective friends to finish – Azumane and Shimizu – Yachi absentmindedly fidled with the hem of her skirt. “I wish Oikawa-kun was here today,” she muttered quietly.

“Do you like him?” Daichi arched an eyebrow.

Yachi frowned in clear repulsion. “Definitely not. Kiyoko-chan says I should avoid men like that!” Daichi could only wonder what she meant. “I mean, he should have been here to explain to you about the class rules. Everything would be easier that way, you know?”

Daichi didn’t know, but nodded anyway. “Why does it have to be Oikawa-san? Why not anybody else, like Azumane, or someone like that?” He frowned. “Is this part of this _closer to death_ stuff I’ve heard about? Why can’t you tell me stuff about that? It is creepy.” He didn’t mean to go off on a tangent, and poor Yachi was staring at him with widened eyes.

“Sawamura-kun, who… who told you about t-that?”

“It doesn’t matter,” he dismissed the question with a sigh. “Somebody had to, right?” He looked down at the very anxious blonde girl, who was fiddling with her skirt even more, gathering a bunch of fabric in her clenched fist.

Then, she bit her lip, and cast an anxious glance at the classroom door, before saying in an incredibly low voice. “I was a-against the rule, because I thought it was r-really mean. It was one we all voted on, but I didn’t want to say anything. Azumane-kun doesn’t like it very much, either…” she took a deep breath. “We decided that Oikawa-kun should be the one to tell you. I went along with it because Kiyoko-san told me to, and because nobody but Oikawa-kun could accept responsibility. Azumane-kun and Nishinoya-kun opposed it, but they were outnumbered. So no-nobody can tell you. And you can’t go against the rules. If you do that, bad things could happen?”

“But what’s all this about being closer to death? What could happen if you break the rules? Shouldn’t this be an exception?” Yachi refused to look at Daichi as he asked these questions, worrying at her lip with her teeth and fiddling with her skirt. “You haven’t said anything to me, yet. Nothing important. Don’t mind.” He didn’t want to deter the one person he could get answers from.

“This will sound silly, but I can’t. I don’t want to. I’m scared,” she admitted, looking at her brown loafers, sounding like she was about to start crying. “If bad things start happening because of me, I’d feel really guilty! That’s why Oikawa-kun said he’d do it. I know it’s selfish, and not fair to you, or to him, but… I’m sorry, Sawamura-kun!” she bowed.

“Don’t mind. I won’t ask again, okay? It’s fine,” Daichi patted her head, and she looked semi-grateful.

Just then, the classroom door slid open, and Yachi squeaked in surprise. Stood there was the second manager, Shimizu Kiyoko, who nodded her head in greeting at Daichi. “Sawamura-san, I’m glad to see you’ve recovered.” Then, she turned to her friend. “I’ve finished now. Let’s go, Hitoka-san.”

“O-Okay! See… See you around, Sa-Sawamura-kun!” Yachi saluted to him, before following Shimizu down the hall, half-running to keep up. Daichi shook his head. She seemed like a very nice girl, albeit very strange.

Looking around, she realized that the hallway wasn’t quite as deserted as she had originally thought. Someone else was there; leaning so inconspicuously against a wall that he almost wasn’t there, was another boy; his name was Ennoshita, or something like that. Tanaka had been telling him. He glanced in Daichi’s direction maybe once, but seemed uncomfortable and stayed silent. Not knowing what to do, Daichi inclined his head once. “Hey.”

“…Hey.”

It struck Daichi at that moment that Ennoshita Chikara had been close enough to hear whatever he and Yachi had been talking about, explaining how uncomfortable he was, and it could probably explain why Yachi was so uncomfortable, too, if she’d seen him. Still, how suspicious and scared of each other this class was worried him slightly. Even so, maybe he could try asking Ennoshita about it all…

“So, how much are you not allowed to tell me?” he was half-kidding, but the answer that he got surprised him.

“Probably a lot,” Ennoshita smiled shyly.

“And so you won’t?”

“Maybe.”

“Maybe isn’t a good answer.”

“I know. Sorry.”

Daichi raised an eyebrow at him. “Do you know what I’m talking about, or are you just messing with me?”

He took a while to answer that. “I know more than I want to know, and more than you think that you want.” _Thanks for being helpful_ , Daichi wanted to retort, but Ennoshita was smiling, so chances are he wasn’t being malicious.

Even so, he laughed at that. A riddler?  “Okay. I know less than I need to, and you know more than you want. Seems like we should meet in the middle somewhere.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“You can’t tell me anything, though, can you?”

“I never said that.” Finally, Ennoshita looked at him. “You can ask me.”

“Alright. What do you know? Why is this class closer to death?”

“Probably not everything. But I know the basics of the story.”

“Tell me.”

At the wrong damn time, the door opened again. “Daichi! Sorry I took so long, man!” Asahi was there, grinning awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head as he did when he was embarrassed. “Oh, hey, Ennoshita-san.”

“Hello, Azumane-san,” Ennoshita seemed polite enough.

“Sorry to interrupt you guys, were you talking about anything important?”

“N-” Daichi was about to say, before Ennoshita cut across him.

“Just the curse.” _Curse?!_ Daichi thought, the word ringing around in his skull. At the word, Asahi took a step back.

“W-woah, man, really?” he looked around. “That’s against class rules, you know!”

“I know. Sorry.” Ennoshita looked away. “He deserves to know. But I didn’t say anything. You came at the right time.”

“Oh, really? Good,” Asahi looked relieved, but jumped at Daichi’s expression. “No disrespect to you, man, it’s just, uh, Ennoshita-san could have been in serious trouble!”

“Don’t mind, I understand,” Daichi waved down his worry. “Well, let’s head home.”

“Sounds good to me,” Asahi sighed. “See you, Ennoshita-san.”

“See you, Azumane-san,” Ennoshita began to walk in the opposite direction, before stopping. “Sawamura-san? I just thought that you should know that _what you don’t know allows you to see what everyone else can’t._ ” After that, Daichi followed Asahi silently, head bowed in thought, Ennoshita’s words swirling in his mind.

Both boys remained silent on the walk home, both lost in thought, or too tired to talk to each other. Either way, between them hung a strange and slightly awkward tension. In the end, it was Daichi who gave in and broke the silence. “About why I was late to class…” Asahi averted his eyes from the floor and looked at Daichi. “I went to the roof.”

“But that’s against the rules…” Asahi pointed out, sounding dumbfounded. “Man, oh, man.”

“I heard a crow too,” Daichi told him, and poor Asahi looked horrified. “I went in with my left, don’t worry.” The sigh of relief was almost obvious. “I saw a guy from our class up there already.”

“You did? Who? I was pretty sure everyone was in class,” Asahi frowned. “Was it Yamaguchi-san?”

“No, it was Sugawara-san.” He nearly said Suga, but he felt like that would be badly received.

Stiffening at those words – an almost identical reaction to Kuroo’s – Asahi faced Daichi, looking him in the eye. Swallowing hard, as if his mouth had gone dry, he said, “You-You’ve met somebody called Sugawara i-in our class? A-Are you sure? That’s… sorta… _impossible_ , man.”

“What, of course, it’s possible!” Daichi shook his head, trying to laugh it off. “I’ve talked him twice already. Uh, let’s see, he’s sort of pale, has really nice silver hair, these hazel eyes-”

“Daichi, man, being serious here. There’s nobody like that in our class. I’ve been here for three years, man, I would know. Nobody in our class looks like that. Haiba-san has silver hair and green eyes, maybe you’re talking about him?”

“It’s not Haiba-san,” Daichi insisted, feeling sweat around his hairline and over his palms, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. “C’mon, Asahi, this isn’t funny. You’re scaring me now. I’ve talked to Suga twice.”

An expression akin to pity and remorse rested on Asahi’s face as he shook his head glumly. “How could you talk to someone that doesn’t exist, Daichi? I…I’m not sure who you’re talking about. You can ask people in class, they’d tell you the same.”

When they got home, Daichi excused himself for a rest in his room, and Asahi let him, taking out his homework. They’d been studying haikus in class, and had to study and analyse one. He could find one later, he was sure it wouldn’t take long. He’d attained a couple of numbers from the people he’d chatted to at breaks, and got Yamaguchi’s number off Tsukishima, since he did want to check up on the guy. Since Yamaguchi seemed to be the least secretive person, he called him first.

“Hello?” Yamaguchi answered weakly, before coughing.

“Yamaguchi-san? It’s Sawamura. How are you?”

“Oh, I’m okay, thank you,” Yamaguchi’s voice sounded stronger, but not by much. “Just the usual, nothing to worry about. “What about you and your lung?”

“Nothing to worry about,” he replied with a laugh. “I actually wanted to ask you something.”

“Hmm?”

“It’s about that guy, Sugawara, in our class. I ended up talking to him after you, and well… what do you think of him?”

There was a long pause in which Daichi checked to make sure that the call hadn’t been dropped, but, no, it was still going. Finally, on the other line “Sorry, who? Is there someone with that name in our class?”

Suddenly, Daichi found it hard to swallow. “Never mind, I must have gotten confused with someone from my old high school. I think it’s time for a nap, I get tired easy nowadays,” he lied, forcing a laugh. “Sorry to bother you, Yamaguchi-san; I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah, of course. Don’t push yourself or anything.”

When he finally emerged from his room, various phonecalls made and homework done, he found Asahi in the midst of making dinner, and looking very scared about the fact, but played it off all the same. “My parents are out, so the only thing I can make is ramen,” he admitted. “I, uh, hope you don’t mind.” Daichi did not mind at all.

He accepted his bowl and sat opposite Asahi on the table and tucked right in. “Sorry I left without saying much,” he said to his friend in between bites. “I think I did get the name wrong.”

Asahi flinched, before focusing even more intensely on his bowl. “Don’t mind, Daichi. It’s a lot to take in for one day, I guess. Maybe I should have done more… sorry, I mucked up.” Before Daichi could interject and tell Asahi to _stop blaming himself already_ , his friend had moved on. “Oikawa-san will probably be in class tomorrow, so he can tell you the rest, I guess. Maybe, I don’t know.” When Daichi looked up at Asahi ever so briefly, he saw the most pained expression resting on his face, but for some reason, he didn’t bother asking why, and allowed it to go unnoticed, as he turned the ramen in front of him, trying to get rid of the sense of guilt in his chest.

+++

Once Asahi had retired for the night, Daichi left a note explaining that he’d gone for a quick walk to get some fresh air for his lung. Whilst this was partially true, this wasn’t all he was going to do, as he made his way to Miyagi General Hospital. On Mondays, he knew Tanaka Saeko had a night shift, since she often complained about it to him when she had little else to do. Her station was on the fifth floor, he remembered.

As expected, the hospital was mostly empty as he ducked inside, scanning left to right for anyone who might kick him out. Fortunately, he got to the elevator without any problems, and found Saeko working at her desk, half-asleep. When he knocked nervously on the glass, she jumped in her chair, knocking her coffee over. “Yo, Sawamura!” she still greeted him enthusiastically. “Gimme a min!”

Once she’d cleaned her desk, she invited Daichi in, before brewing him and herself cups of coffee. “Are you sure it’s okay for me to be here, Tanaka-san?”

“Drop the _Tanaka-san_ , jeez. Saeko’s fine. And yes, it’s totally okay for you to be here!” she slapped him on the back with a grin. “So, what can I do for you at _this_ time?”

“This is going to sound really strange…” he began, trying to choose his wording. “But… did someone die the day after I was admitted?”

Saeko did a double-take, before replying: “What’d’ya want to know **_that_** for?”

“Something’s been bothering me,” he confessed. That day, Sugawara Koushi had gotten off the elevator at the second basement level. Since then, he’d learned that on Level B2, there were no patient or exam rooms, and that the only thing down there besides the storage room and the machine room was the morgue and the memorial chapel. Assuming the memorial chapel was where Suga was going that day, there must have been someone who died in the hospital that day.

 _Something very sad happened that day for me._ _That’s probably why I don’t remember, Sawamura-kun._

“Well,” Saeko mused for a moment. “None of my patients died!”

“A miracle.”

“You’re so horrible, Sawamura!”

“But someone else could have. It’s not actually common around here, actually, people dying. I think somebody did die early that month, now that you mention it.” She frowned, tapping her finger on the side of her cup. “There might have been. I feel like you’re asking for a reason – concerned for someone in your class?”

“Something like that,” Daichi nodded.

“Yeah, now that you mention it, I did hear a rumour about someone passing away suddenly. I heard a couple of the nurses mentioning it a few times…”

“Tana- Saeko-san! Do you have a name or what they were ill with?”

Looking around, ensuring they were completely alone, she leant closer, cupping a hand around her mouth as if to guard it. “Want me to find out for you?” she asked, with a smirk and a cheeky wink.

“Won’t you get in trouble?”

“Mm, I could always ask around. And, if I dig anything up, I’ll call you!” she laughed. “I know you’ve got a good reason, but in exchange, you’re gonna have to tell me that reason. Got it?”

“Got it.”

+++

When Asahi and a very tired Daichi made their way into class the next morning, they saw that Oikawa was indeed in attendance. When he saw Daichi, he broke off the intense conversation he was having with Iwaizumi to give him a goofy wave. Once Iwaizumi raised his head to look at Daichi, he stopped speaking as Oikawa began to drift over. “Daichi-san!” he sounded cheerful. “Sorry I wasn’t in yesterday; I feel so bad!” He’d clapped his hands together as if in prayer.

“It’s fine, Oikawa-san,” Daichi nodded, with a smile of his own. “Everyone gets ill sometimes.”

“Yes, you’re right, you’re absolutely right!” he grinned, and looked at Iwaizumi. “See, Iwa-chan? Even Daichi-san says I deserved the day off!” Iwaizumi rolled his eyes, and Oikawa childishly stuck his tongue out at him. “So, Daichi-san, would it be okay if I took up some of your time during lunch? I have to tell you some things, you know. I bet everyone’s already told you, right?”

“They have,” Daichi conceded.

“Actually, about that,” a voice spoke from behind Daichi; when he looked, it was Kuroo, still slightly sleepy-looking. “I need to talk to you about something before that. Oh, right. Morning, guys.”

“Morning,” Asahi, Daichi, Iwaizumi and Oikawa chorused together, with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Kuroo lead Iwaizumi and Oikawa away from Asahi and Daichi, making it clear the latter weren’t welcome, so they sloped off.

“Daichi, I just need to swing by the teacher’s office and ask Takeda-sensei something before he gets to class. You okay on your own?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.”

Looking around, he noticed that Suga wasn’t anywhere around. Did he get hurt for breaking the first myth? _Oh, creepy_. When someone sat in Lev’s seat that wasn’t Lev, Daichi jumped a little bit, but relaxed when he saw it was Ennoshita. “Did you get any answers that you wanted yet?”

Smiling weakly, he replied, “No, it looks like that won’t happen for a while. I feel like I’ve done something wrong already.”

Ennoshita peered at him, and cast a cursory glance at Kuroo, Iwaizumi and Oikawa, who had gained another two members; the pair Iwaizumi had been yelling at in gym class. Kyotani and… Turnip Head. “You shouldn’t let them get to you, Sawamura-san. I think things will work out.”

“Hmm,” he hummed in agreement. “I still haven’t figured it out what you were trying to tell me yesterday.”

“Well, no,” Ennoshita shrugged like that was a given. “I mean, I didn’t make it obvious, you know? Just in case.” He turned to Daichi with a half-smile on his face. “It’s just your second day, but here’s a word to the wise. Watch everyone. Get it? Keep watching. You’ll figure it out, right? You look smart enough.” Right. You could learn a lot about your opponents in volleyball by just watching them.

But Ennoshita wasn’t quite done.

“Most importantly, watch how everyone treats… _someone_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please comment and give any criticisms you may have!


	6. May ; stories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whenever he finds answers, the questions keep changing.

During lunch, Oikawa approached Daichi and his group of friends, cutting off some hilarious anecdote of Nishinoya’s. On his face was a grim, but determined look. “Hey, Daichi-san, I know I promised I’d talk to you today, but we’ll have to postpone. Do you mind?”

“It’s fine,” Daichi sighed. It was not fine. “Some other time, then.”

At his words, Oikawa lightened up slightly. “Good! I promise we’ll talk soon! But, for now, I need to borrow your good friend here!” He placed his hands on Asahi’s shoulders, who looked positively horrified at the prospect, like a guilty child bracing themselves for a scolding.

“Wh-What can I-I-I, uh, help you with?” Asahi turned to face Oikawa, who said nothing but grin. _That would not calm me down_ , Daichi thought to himself.

“Ah, don’t look so scared, it’s just about a little thing me and Kuroo-kun discussed this morning! We just need your help with it, is all.” His voice quickly turned from a playful, light tone to very serious, intimidating even Daichi.

“Oh, uh, alright,” Asahi agreed, standing up. “I’ll see you guys later.” With that, he waved goodbye to the group. Nishinoya and Tanaka exchanged looks, shrugged, and carried on chatting like nothing had happened. Daichi followed Asahi and Oikawa’s movements out the room with his eyes, watching the two figures stood in the hallway through the ajar door. In his quick scan around the room, he noticed Yachi’s desk was surrounded by Hinata, Kageyama, Yamaguchi and Tsukishima, with Shimizu nowhere in sight. They all seemed to be pestering Tsukishima about something and generally having a good time.

“Yo, uh, Sawamura-san, right?” two bodies blocked his view, and he looked up to see two newcomers he didn’t quite recognize.

“Yeah,” he nodded. “Who are you guys? I’m not great with names, sorry.”

“Oh, uh,” the guy who had spoken, who had a very similar hairstyle to Tanaka, pointed at himself, and then the boy next to him, who had a mess of light brown hair. “I’m Narita Kazuhito. This guy here’s Kinoshita Hisashi. We, uh, wanted to say thanks.”

“Why?”

“Well, Chikara doesn’t talk to a lot of people, but he seems to be okay talking to you.”

_Chikara…? Oh, they mean Ennoshita._

“Hey, that’s no reason to thank me,” Daichi admitted.

“Still!” Hisashi protested. “Ennoshita really likes volleyball, actually, but he never gets to play. Always gets benched, y’know. You play volleyball, right?”

“Of course I do,” Daichi laughed.

“Maybe we should all get together sometime to play. It’ll be good for Chikara, anyway.”

“Sounds pretty good,” Daichi assented.

“Awesome,” Hisashi continued. “Here, I’ll give you my number so we can sort things out.”

Once Hisashi had typed both his and Narita’s phone numbers into Daichi’s phone, Daichi looked up briefly in order to take it back, and saw a flash of silver hair. No, that definitely wasn’t Haiba Lev. No, that was Sugawara Koushi. “I’ve just remembered I have to something! I’ll see you around!” Daichi waved, trying to leave as quickly as possible in order to catch up with Suga.

For the longest while, Suga always stayed well ahead of him, before ducking into a side room that was easily missed. What was it with Suga and vanishing? Daichi slipped inside after him, looking around, and found himself in a library. Nothing was out of the ordinary, really. “Suga,” he spoke gently, but his voice was still far too loud.

Suga, who had his nose in a book already, smiled softly and looked up. “Hello again, Daichi-kun.”

“I didn’t know you liked reading,” Daichi commented, sitting opposite him.

“My grandfather and father both enjoyed reading, so I got it from them,” Suga explained. “Daichi-kun, I thought you weren’t going to talk to me anymore?”

“When did I say that?” Daichi arched an eyebrow, before adding, “It seems like you’re not the most popular person in class.”

“That is one way to put it,” Suga nodded, still smiling, though Daichi had no idea why.

“Why is that? Nobody knows you.”

“Whoa there, _Sherlock_. Again with the questions,” he reprimanded, sounding stern, reminding Daichi strongly of his mother. “You haven’t had that talk with Oikawa yet, have you?”

“Of course not,” Daichi snorted.

“Well, did you find anything out at all?”

Resting his chin in his hand on the tabletop, he slowly replied: “It’s what I didn’t find out that’s bothering me. I think knowing part of the truth is worse than not knowing it at all.”

“I see…” Suga nodded. “That was surprisingly wise, coming from you, Daichi-kun.” With that, he laughed, before quietening at the arrival of a stranger. “Hello, Kozume-san.”

Kozume-san turned out to be a boy around their age with dyed blonde hair and cat-like golden eyes. “Hello.”

“Kozume-san, this is Sawamura Daichi-san,” Sugawara indicated to Daichi.

“Is he your friend?”

“I suppose so,” Sugawara answered with a laugh. That made Daichi want to smile a little bit. _Suga said that Daichi was his friend._ But it was a little weird how he was talking to Sugawara, where most ignored him. “Daichi-kun, this is Kozume Kenma-san. He’s our librarian.” _Oh, so this is Kuroo’s friend_ , Daichi thought.

"Do you spend all your time in here, Kozume-san?" Daichi asked. Kenma looked around their age, but if he was working in the library, he was likely older than the two of them.

“I'm not good with people, and I don't want to interact with them. And yet I'm very concerned about what others think about me. So I stay here, out of the way,” Kenma explained. “You’re in Sugawara-san’s class?”

“Yeah. Just transferred, actually.”

“Into Class 3-4…?” Kenma looked away. “That’s not good.”

“Uh…” Daichi trailed off, but Kenma started speaking again.

“You can come in here whenever you want, really. This library is a safe place.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Suga had gone back to carefully reading his book, turning the pages gently, as if he was worried he might rip them. Kenma ambled slowly across the room and sat on a comfortable chair, bringing out a game console. Awkwardly, Daichi sat down, and pulled out his homework. Might as well do some now. Once he’d gotten through a few difficult questions, he was pulled from his concentration by someone forcibly pulling the door open.

“Yo, Kenma!” there was a yell, as Kuroo burst into the room. “I need your help with somethiiii- oh, Sawamura! Yo!”

“Oh, hi,” Daichi answered.

“Huh, two birds, one stone,” Kuroo shrugged, looking mighty pleased with himself. “Oikawa’s looking for you. He’s by the shoe lockers.”

“What did you need help with, Kuroo?” Kenma hadn’t even so much as looked up from his video game.

“Finding Sawamura,” Kuroo admitted with a grin. “ _Alsocouldyoudomyhomework?_ ” Saying nothing in reply, Kenma just held out his hand, and Kuroo shoved the homework sheet Daichi had been working on into it. “You’re great, Kenma, seriously.”

“Yeah,” Kenma nodded, before moving over to the table Daichi and Suga were sat on, and sat next to Suga, but Kuroo didn’t even react to it.

“Anyway, Sawamura-san, let’s go,” Kuroo grinned then. “You don’t wanna see impatient Oikawa, trust me.”

+++

“Right, I see,” Oikawa was nodding. From the second Daichi had met the boy by the entrance, he’d been barraged non-stop with endless questions by Iwaizumi, Oikawa, and occasionally Kuroo. “Goddammit, this is so annoying, Iwa-chan!” None of the answers Daichi had supplied had seemed to satisfy anything they’d wanted to know.

“It’s not a big deal,” Iwaizumi clapped Oikawa’s shoulder. “Don’t let it get to you, Trashykawa.”

“Still,” Oikawa’s voice lost all friendliness. “This is part of my job as the head of countermeasures. I **have** to do a good job.”

“Uh,” Daichi cut in with a question of his own, “What exactly does a head of countermeasures do?”

All three of them looked at him with surprised expressions; instantly, Oikawa recovered. “In simple terms, I’m the one in charge of devising and executing countermeasures to protect our whole class.”

“Protect…? Devising and executing…?” Daichi repeated dumbly. So, he’d be a tactician on the volleyball team, then.

Iwaizumi stepped forward, frown on his face. “I want to make sure you understand the situation Class 4 is in, and the rules we must follow-”

“Iwa-chan, _stop_ ,” Oikawa glared at his friend, who glared back.

“What?” Iwaizumi hissed, and for a second, it looked like the two were sizing each other.

With a laugh, Kuroo stood between them, and Daichi. “Hold on, you guys, hold on.”

From behind Kuroo, Daichi thought he heard Oikawa whisper: “ _I miss one day of school and this happens. You were meant to be covering for me, Iwa-chan! You all were!”_

“Maybe you should go before these two start fighting, huh?” Kuroo said, with a laugh, but it was an empty one. “Maybe go get lunch. You must be pretty hungry! I think Nishinoya-san and Tanaka-san are still in the homeroom.” That was an indication for him to go, it seemed.

In the homeroom, Asahi, Nishinoya and Tanaka were sat there, and greeted him as enthusiastically as always, but for some reason, Asahi was looking away from Daichi, almost on purpose. He looked… guilty. Did he say something to Oikawa before?

After school, Asahi was forced to stay behind for volleyball club – which Daichi had every intention of joining later, but due to his lung, he’d best stay away for now. As usual, Asahi suggested that he go home and wait there, but as always, Daichi said that he’d happily wait, and wander around the block for an hour or so. With that, Asahi, Nishinoya and Tanaka had sped off to their club, the latter whooping and hollering as they did so. From what he understood of it, the volleyball club ran every day after school, but people attended it at on different days. He’d probably go on Tuesdays alongside Asahi and the rest.

While wandering mindlessly around campus, briefly Daichi wondered whatever had happened to Suga; following lunch, he hadn’t returned to the class, so it stood to reason that he’d remained in the safe-place library alongside Kenma. As if right on cue, he saw the silver-haired boy walking only a few yards ahead of him, looking down at the ground. Hesitating, he wondered if he should follow him; half of him insisted that he should give it a rest for now, especially now Oikawa had returned with a renewed interest in him, but the other half felt like he had no other choice. So with a resolute step, he followed Sugawara, hoping to reach him. Having to weave between groups of people only slowed him down slightly, but he kept an eye on him.

Without realising it, he had accidentally followed him off campus and onto the busy downtown streets, but still, he always made sure Sugawara was in his sight. Suddenly, he vanished, just like that, but Daichi figured he’d just turned the corner. Almost sprinting now and winding himself, he turned onto a side street, and stood in confusion, turning his head from side to side, looking for him. He had either miraculously vanished, or ducked into a shop – the latter sounded more likely.

From a quick look around, the only shop that really jumped out at him was what looked like a tiny bookstore that was still somehow in business, despite everything around it being shut. Just as he was about to step inside, his phone started buzzing, and panicking, pulled it hastily from his pocket to discover it was Saeko calling him.

“Uh, Sawamura?” Saeko said when he answered the phone.

“Oh, Saeko-san?”

“I found something out – about that thing we talked about,” she sounded tense, Daichi noted.

“Really? That was fast!”

“I know, right? One of my co-workers who was in the know got hold of me, and boy, she LOVES to gossip. So, I asked her right away, and there was someone who died the day you were admitted.”

“What was their name? Do you know their name?!”

“Hmmm, if I can remember it right, the name was Sugawara. Something like that, anyhoo.”

The cold feeling that flooded Daichi made him involuntarily shiver, but even so he pressed on. “What happened?”

“They got into some car accident, and were put through surgery here, apparently. It was going well, apparently, so they expected them to recover, but all of a sudden, they just took a turn for the worse! Straight outta the blue!” Daichi lowered the phone, letting Saeko just babble on. He was in shock.

Was…Sugawara…dead?

Absentmindedly, he shut the phone conversation off, and put it back into his pocket, not sure on what to feel. Well, considering that he could have entered this little bookshop, Daichi took a tentative step in to try and find him.

In a word, the shop was… unsettling, to say the least. Despite the room being dimly lit and dusty to boot, the books were well cared for, and all were different shapes and sizes, not in any particular order. Only the further one got in, the darker the books got, and one on display was telling Daichi that it was a demoniac compendium of sorts. What on earth was Suga doing in a place like this?! He swallowed audibly, before pressing on with a new determination.

Moving deeper into the room, examining the titles of the various tomes, Daichi kept an eye out for Suga. Some of the books were in different languages that Daichi couldn’t even begin to attempt to understand. There was no order for these books at all, and how anybody could find anything in here was beyond Daichi. As he progressed, he managed to see a stairwell going down, and looking around, he made his way down it, trying to be as quiet as he could, even though the stairs protested at his weight.

_Could Suga be down here?_

In the basement, amongst more cobwebs and dust, were even more books than there were upstairs. Also down here were several small sculptures and other assorted art forms, but she wondered why; perhaps somebody had made them to accompany these books? Saying that, these books looked incredibly old. It felt like Daichi had taken a step back in time.

“I didn’t think that you were a book lover, Daichi-kun.” Daichi jumped as a sudden warm voice cut across the silence. Hiding behind a bookshelf, he caught sight of Suga smiling at him. “Ah, sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.” He held up a hand in apology.

“I was just looking around,” Daichi excused himself, not particularly wanting to admit that he’d followed Suga. “So, uh, you really like old books then?”

“Not particularly,” Suga replied, surprising him. “I don’t know; it’s just calm down here.”

_Yeah, calm and incredibly creepy._

“What about you, Daichi-kun? Why are _you_ here?”

“I just wandered in. There was nothing else that looked open on the block. I got curious,” Daichi responded with a little more composure than before, but something told him Suga knew he was lying. Despite appearances, Sugawara seemed… very perceptive.

He stood away from the bookshelf and looked at Daichi curiously. “Are you sure you want to keep talking to me, like this? Not that any of that matters… I think it’s already too late to stop it.”

The conversation just grew more and more curious. Daichi frowned up at the silver-haired student. “What’s that meant to mean? _Too late_?”

Sugawara turned away again, and placed a book back on the shelf. “We should go upstairs. It’s comfier.”

Once upstairs in a seating area that Daichi hadn’t even noticed upon entrance, he sat down and watched Suga scan the shelves for a while, looking for books that he could read.

“Say, Suga-san,” Daichi spoke up. “I know we talked about this on the roof, but, when I met you at the hospital, you got off at the second basement level. Were you going to the… memorial chapel?”

Suga stopped searching for books and looked at him. “I heard that on that day, there was somebody who died. Do you have an older brother, or a younger brother?”

“No.”

“Then why were you-”

“Daichi-kun, aren’t you going to look for anything?”

“Huh? What?” Obviously, Suga had changed the topic, clearly uncomfortable. “Won’t I have to buy it? I don’t have any money on me…”

“No, the owner lets you take them for free, if you promise to bring them back, or if you replace it with a book of your own,” Suga explained quickly. “What sort of books do you like, Daichi?”

“Horror,” Daichi said, saying the first thing that came to mind. At that, Suga’s eyes lit up, almost mischievously. This was the most alive Daichi had seen the other boy – were he and the mysterious student he’d met in the hospital elevator the same person?

“Well, then, Daichi-kun, do you want to hear a ghost story?” The look on Suga’s face was, quite frankly, terrifying. Daichi nodded his head, watching Suga sit opposite him, with a cheeky small smile on his face. Slowly, Suga leant as close as he could to Daichi and whispered lowly: “There’s an old story in this town, Daichi-kun. About the class 3-4 of 23 years ago. Have you heard it?” Daichi shook his head dumbly.

Suga leant back on his chair, smile on his face; he knew he had his audience.

“There was a student in that class who excelled in sports and their studies. They were kind to all, loved by teachers and students alike. But shortly after starting the third year, they inexplicably died.”

“ _How?_ ”

“The version I’ve heard is that they died in a plane crash with their family, but other people say that it was just a car accident. Some even claim that they died in a fire. After they died, everyone in the class was horribly shocked, and overcome with grief. That was until someone in the class spoke out, and pointed to their desk and said…” Suga leant in close again, nearly whispering it under his breath. “ _Look over there, she’s not really dead. See? They’re right there. She’s alive and well._ ” Suga withdrew once more, looking at Daichi’s face, his eyes lacking all their previous sparkle. “Suddenly, all the other students said the same thing – _it’s true, they’re not dead_. Like a chain reaction, it spread through the class – they didn’t want to believe the truth, or accept it. I’m sure you can relate.”

That seemed like a slight at him, Daichi thought, but kept silent.

“Everyone in that class carried on that act, insisting this poor person was still alive. Even their homeroom teacher said the same -   _it’s true, they’re alive, so you should all continue working as a **team**_ – right up until graduation. Even the principal offered to have their seat including in the ceremony…”

“Is this a true story?” Daichi asked, feeling sort of afraid.

Suga snubbed him and continued. “But when the class all gathered for the group photo in their classroom, just off to the side of the photo, stood the person who should not have been there, but was. Their face was deathly pale, but they smiled alongside everyone else.”

Daichi had subconsciously drawn back into his seat.

“There’s more to that story. A lot more, if you care to hear it. That was just the prologue…”

Before Daichi could respond, the phone in his pocket began to buzz loudly, and lifting a hand to say sorry to Suga, he answered.

“Daichi, man, where are you?” It was Asahi.

“Oh, sorry, I got sidetracked somewhere. Are you at the school? I’ll meet you by the gates.”

“O-Okay.” In the background, there was a loud bang, and he heard Asahi yelp in surprise. In the background, he could then hear a loud: “Asahiiiii! Get me down from here!” followed by “Hey, you guys, look, Noya-san’s flying!” With that, the call cut off.

When he looked over to see where Suga was, the other boy had gone, melting into the shadows of the bookshop again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave any thoughts, I will be happy to hear them!


	7. May ; Kuroo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unexpectedly and out of nowhere, the curse strikes.

“Oh, maaaaaan,” Hinata was whining as the group stared up at the sheet Takeda-sensei had pinned up on the board during first period. As expected, midterms were rolling around, and dedicated students had started studying already. Students that were not Hinata, Kageyama, Tanaka or Nishinoya. The first day of exams looked rough, Daichi noted. Maths first, followed straight by Chemistry. He could have groaned. He only dreaded telling Asahi later, who was currently curled up in bed with a very bad cold. Earlier that morning, he’d promised the other boy to fetch him a copy of the timetable so he could begin studying.

“And once exams are over, we have career counselling,” Kageyama reminded them, plunging the group of boys into silence.

“Urgh, having to talk about that crap with a teacher formally is so depressing!” Tanaka groaned in frustration, leaning back on a desk.  

“You’ll be fine, bro!” Nishinoya tried to cheer up the other boy, but it didn’t really work, and Tanaka groaned in response.

“Yes, of course you’ll be fine,” Tsukishima approached the group, shadowed by Yamaguchi. “Over ninety-five percent of people get into college these days. So don’t worry,” he fixed the glasses on his nose, “There will be a college out there even _you_ could get into.”

“You makin’ fun of me?!” Tanaka growled, leaning his face close to Tsukishima in an attempt to intimidate him, teeth bared. _Not again,_ Daichi thought, and resisting the impulse to roll his eyes, dragged Tanaka back by his shirt. Tsukishima simply laughed, with Yamaguchi laughing behind him.

“Where are you going to go to college then, Tsukishima?” Nishinoya asked with a grin.

“West,” Tsukishima announced smugly.

“What?! Are your grades really that high?!” Hinata looked amazed, earning him a smack on the back of his head by Kageyama, who frowned at Tsukishima.

“They’re obviously not,” he said to both Tsukishima and Hinata. “You’re not that smart!”

“Maybe they are, maybe they aren’t,” Tsukishima answered. “But I’m working on them. I don’t know what you guys are doing.”

“Good luck, Tsukki!” Yamaguchi said, thumping the bespectacled boy on the back.

“Well, whatever, four-eyes,” Tanaka sniffed loudly. “You’re stuck with us until graduation!”

“Keep your strength up,” Nishinoya whispered, a gleam in his eye.

“Tsukki used to be cooler in elementary school!” Yamaguchi announced, earning himself a death glare from Tsukishima; he didn’t let this deter him though. “We’ve been friends since second grade! We even live next to each other!” Then he pouted, as if purposely winding up Tsukishima, who didn’t even seem to mind. “All of sudden he turned into this aloof honour student and started caring about grades and so on…”

“You know that makes you sound like you’re the one who hasn’t changed – maybe you should try growing up?” Tsukishima chided. “I’ve changed a lot growing up. What would you know?”

“I know plenty of things about you that you don’t even realise yourself, Tsukki!” Yamguchi grinned up at his best friend, who glowered down at him. Saying that, Tsukishima seemed to glare a lot, so Daichi supposed it was his natural expression.

“What about you, Daichi-san?!” Hinata asked. “Are you going back to Tokyo?!”

“My dad said he’ll be back by then, so I guess I’ll attend one there,” Daichi confessed. “Probably a private one, if I’m being honest.”

“Must be nice being a college professor’s kid…” Tanaka crossed his arms. “It’s an inside job! Your dad’s gonna pull some strings and you could get a free ride into college!”

“If he annoys you, you can just hit him,” Kageyama chided from behind him.

“That’s one way,” a sing-song voice that could only belong to Oikawa echoed out. “I’m thinking of going to a private college in Tokyo, too.” Oikawa then looked straight at Daichi. “What college would you attend, Daichi-san?”

“I was thinking maybe Meiji or Keio, if they accept me,” Daichi said with a laugh. It was a well-known fact private universities had a lower acceptance rate than the ones Tsukishima had described.

“Oh, Oikawa-san, you’re going to Tokyo?” Turnip Head ( _dammit, what was his name? Why could he only remember that stupid nickname?!_ ) asked, joining the group.

“If I do, I suppose I’ll have to live on my own!” Oikawa stated grandly. “How fun!”

“Weren’t you talking about going to that Shiratorizawa Academy a while back…?” Kageyama asked, and the response was immediate.

Oikawa stiffened like he’d just been shot, and slowly, like a doll, turned his head around to face Kageyama, his eyes wide and almost insane looking. Across his face was stretched a fake smile that looked more like he was bearing his teeth at the other boy, and his fists were balled. Daichi noted, with a tinge of fear, that Iwaizumi had started cracking his knuckles the minute Kageyama mentioned Shiratorizawa Academy.

“ _Listen here, Kageyama-chan_ ,” Oikawa’s voice sounded, quite frankly, horrifying. “ _I never, ever, said I wanted to go there. Ever. You understand?_ ” The force of the glares from both Oikawa and Iwaizumi could have made a normal man buckle and start crying, but fortunately, Kageyama hadn’t seemed to pick up on that fact.

“Okay,” he nodded simply. Oikawa froze, as if in embarrassment, shocked from the reaction. With a scowl, he relaxed his features, before smiling again.

“Well, even so, don’t push yourself too hard,” Daichi said, hoping to console him.

“Oh, don’t worry, Daichi-san, I won’t,” Oikawa was grinning, but in his eyes was a competition. _Well, at least he wouldn’t give up_ , Daichi thought. “By the way, have you joined a club yet? I don’t think we have everything your last school had, but…”

“To be honest, I’m interested in the volleyball club, since I was in a team last year. I was hoping to get a sports scholarship or something and attend a university with a really good one-”

“There’s always Shiratorizawa,” Nishinoya suggested, earning him a smack on the back of the head from Iwaizumi.

“Woah, you do?” Oikawa was staring at the timetable pinned on the wall again, but his eyes were bright, as if he were passionate about something.

“Yeah, but I’m nothing special when it comes to volleyball,” he admitted with a shrug.

“Well, my advice is, Daichi-san…” Oikawa turned to face him, holding up a finger. “First, parents usually refuse straight away if you tell them you’re going to school just for sports.” He held up a second finger. “Second, even assuming they accept you, you’ll have very few practical job skills. Some of that depends on talent, but everyone knows that it’s more or less down to **luck**. Third-”

“I get it, thanks!” he interjected, but Oikawa smiled at him.

“Saying that though, Daichi-san, if you really want to go for it, then you don’t have to be scared,” his smile slid off of his face and he became more serious, “No matter what you’re doing, it’s kind of pathetic to give up before you even try.”

Iwaizumi was staring at him, an emotion akin to wonder in his eyes. Oikawa had finished his conversation with Daichi, and began chatting amicably to Iwaizumi.

Briefly, Daichi wondered where Suga was going to school, but couldn’t ask him, since he hadn’t seen him since that day in the bookshop about a week ago. Thinking about it, Daichi took three copies of the exam timetable off the desk. One for himself, one for Asahi and one for Sugawara.

+++

Once school had ended, Daichi was left alone in the classroom after clean-up duty, watching the rain pour down in sheets. The sound of the rain was kind of soothing when you were all tucked up inside and dry. In the courtyard, brave students were running into the harsh weather, and those who were wise enough to bring umbrellas or coats walked out with ease. Daichi would probably have to sprint home, but doing so would make his lung flare up again, so for now, he was waiting for the rain to ease up slightly.

Unexpectedly, the door flung open, and in stalked Kuroo, who seemed like he was looking for something. “Oh, Sawamura-san. Hey!”

“Hey,” Daichi greeted him politely. In Kuroo’s hand he noticed there was an umbrella, but he made no comment. “Did you forget to bring an umbrella with you today or something?”

“No, I didn’t think I’d need one,” Daichi admitted.

“Hah, that sucks,” Kuroo laughed as he walked over to his desk, and pulled out a book of poetry. _Poetry?_ Daichi arched an eyebrow as Kuroo stuffed it hastily in his bag. “That’s not for me, man!” Kuroo protested childishly. “It’s for my mom.”

“Oh, did you buy it before school or something?” Daichi asked politely.

“Yep,” Kuroo nodded. “She’s kinda sick right now, so I thought she might like it. Something sentimental and sappy.”

“I get you,” Daichi nodded. “I hope your mom gets better soon, Kuroo-san.”

“Huh? Oh, right, yeah,” Kuroo nodded. “The doctors say she’s gonna be fine.”

“That’s good news,” Daichi nodded again.

“Oh, hey, you’re staying at Azumane’s place, right?” Kuroo seemed to detect something wrong in the other boy, so changed the subject.

“That’s right,” Daichi smiled.

“Well, his place is _en route_ to the hospital, so I could drop you off if you want,” he held up the umbrella. “I mean - it would suck if you got a cold because of the rain. It’s not a big deal.”

“I couldn’t ask you to-”

“I really don’t mind, so c’mon, let’s go,” Kuroo grabbed his sleeve and began to drag his fellow classmate out of the room, until he finally concurred and began to walk alongside him through the halls.

“So I’ve been meaning to ask,” Daichi began, and judging from Kuroo’s expression, he was bracing for another wave of questions about the curse, “what do you guys do for class trips here?”

“We went to Tokyo last year!” Kuroo announced cheerfully. “We went to an amusement park, and to the top of Tokyo Tower. We spent a week doing a training camp with another school over there, which was pretty cool.”

“So you liked it there?” Daichi inquired politely.

“Hell yeah!” Kuroo cheered. “I kinda wish I could go to university there, but with our hospital bills, that’s not likely!” He guffawed at that loudly, but Daichi knew it was bothering him.

“Hey, wait, aren’t class trips usually for third years?”

“Oh, here, we do it in the fall term of our second years. It used to be for third years a long time ago, but…”

“Used to?”

“Uh, yeah. That’s what they say.”

“I wonder why they changed it to the second,” Daichi pondered aloud. “Was there some kind of-”

“How should I know? That was a long time ago.” Kuroo had stopped joking around, and his face had grown grave. “They probably wanted to change it so worrywarts like Azumane-san and Yamaguchi-san wouldn’t freak out about exams.” At that, he cracked a smile, but Daichi wasn’t convinced.

At the footlockers, Daichi saw the sheeting rain outside even more, and saw the puddles on the ground, and wondered if Sugawara had brought an umbrella. “Hey, Kuroo-san,” he spoke up suddenly. “What do you think about Sugawara?”

“Bro, just… don’t…” Kuroo was stood a little way in front of him, so Daichi couldn’t see his face properly.

“Don’t what?”

Kuroo spun around, a stormy expression on his face. “Don’t ever say that name again!”

“What are you talking about…? Why-?”

“Ugh, the weather…” From behind Daichi came Oikawa Tooru, surprisingly sans Iwa-chan, glancing out at the stormy sky. “I swear it’s gotten worse!”

As he made his way to the entrance, Daichi called out softly. “Hey… Do you know the story about class four from twenty-three years ago?” Upon hearing that, Oikawa froze in his tracks, and didn’t look at Daichi.

“You actually believe stuff like that?” His tone was as icy cold as the weather outside.

“I just…heard a rumour.”

It was only then Oikawa deemed himself to look at Daichi. “How much did you hear? How much did they tell you?”

“Well, a popular student died in class 3-4 about twenty-three years ago, and then the class acted like they didn’t die, and then they showed up in the class photo at the end. That’s it.”

“Oh, so just the first year,” Oikawa nodded.

“But there were other years,” Kuroo commented absentmindedly, earning himself a kick in the shin from Oikawa. Daichi could only stare at them in dumbfounded horror. _Other years? What?!_

“Oi, Trashykawa. Didn’t I tell you not to wait for me?” Iwaizumi’s tone was as blunt as ever. “What’s with your faces? You all look so serious.”

“Daichi-san mentioned the year _it_ started,” Oikawa confided in his friend, who looked horrified and vaguely angry. “He says that _he heard a rumour_.” The scepticism in his voice lead Daichi to believe that Oikawa knew he was lying.

“I… see,” Iwaizumi said slowly, eyebrows creased. “That’s tough. For now, let’s keep pretty quiet, and keep an eye on it.” He was staring directly at Daichi then as if trying to glean any more information from him.

“Sawamura-san. Those kind of stories tend to get embellished. I don’t think you should take it too seriously,” Kuroo tried to dismiss it, but the lingering suspicion remained in Daichi’s mind.

Iwaizumi began to walk out of the door, still frowning as he pushed past Daichi. In parting, he called out: “With some things, there’s a time when it’s right to know about them. And maybe when you miss that chance, _you’re better off not knowing_.”

Without much incident, the rest of the week passed by, with absolutely no sign of Suga anywhere; was he sick too? Daichi hadn’t had chance to give him the timetable he’d taken for him – maybe he should leave in that creepy bookstore Suga liked in hopes he’d find it? Yet on Friday, whilst Daichi was laughing and joking with Asahi and the gaggle that usually accompanied him, he glimpsed a lone figure patrolling the rooftop. Slowly, he began to deviate from the group.

“What are you doing, Sawamura-san?” Hinata inquired, looking like a confused bird, but Daichi had begun to walk quickly away from the group, to try to get to Suga. Hopefully he could hear the rest of the story.

“Hey!” Tanaka yelled at his retreating back. “Hey, Daichi-san!”

“Sorry!” Daichi called behind him. “You guys go on without me! I’ll see you later!” Finally, as he reached the roof severely out of breath, he’d found Suga, and finally, he was going to ask him about – His train of thought was cut off by a large obnoxious buzzing sound, which was his phone. _Who could that be? Who could be calling me right now?_ “Hello…?” He answered, uncertain.

“You okay?” Nishinoya’s voice floated through the phone. _Noya?_

“What? Why are you calling me?” In hindsight, that was pretty rude, Daichi chided himself, but Nishinoya let it slide.

“I’m calling ‘cause I thought you might be in trouble,” Nishinoya explained. “This one might send Oikawa into some kinda hysterical mode.”

“What does that mean? Why does Oikawa care?”

“Daichi-san, look,” Nishinoya sounded incredibly serious, which was unusual for the usually goofy boy. “ **Quit paying attention to things that aren’t there. It’s dangerous**.”

_What? What is he saying?_

“And, uh, I heard you know the story from twenty-three years ago. Once we get to next month, I promise I’ll tell you. So for the rest of this month…” his voice was quickly becoming overwhelmed by static. “Could you just sit tight and…” Abruptly, the phone call ended as quickly as it had begun, and with a shaking hand, Daichi put his phone back in his pocket.

 _What was that about? What did that mean?_ The question swirled around in Daichi’s brain. Slowly, he ambled on the rooftop, looking for Suga hoping he could provide some answers, but he was nowhere to be seen. Was Nishinoya was trying to say that…

Sugawara Koushi didn’t exist?

Then that would mean that Daichi had been talking to someone who wasn’t there. How was he ever meant to accept something as laughable as that?

Later that night, when he was laid alone in his room, the day’s events and questions rolling through his head, once more they were cut off by his phone ringing. He didn’t bother to check who could be calling him, and instead picked up the phone. “Hello?”

“You having a good night, Sawamura?” the chipper voice asked.

“Tana- Saeko-san!”

“You remember that thing we were talking about? That Sugawara person who passed away at the end of April?”

“How could I forget?”

“Ah, don’t sound so serious!” Saeko guffawed. “Well, whatever. I kept thinking about it after we talked, and I checked something. Sure, the name was Sugawara, but it was _two_ people who died, not one. Both Sugawara, though.”

So what made those Sugawara people Suga’s ‘happier self’?

“Soooooo,” Saeko continued, “You gonna tell me why you wanted to know or what?”

“Oh, uh…” Shit, he’d completely forgotten to come up with some excuse.

“Is there an occult explanation? Oooh, that would be so cool!”

“Wha-”

“Hey, what’s with you being quiet? You promised you’d tell me!” With that, she chuckled menacingly, like a cheesy villain off a bad b-movie.

“Why are you laughing like that?” She continued, much to Daichi’s chagrin. “Cut it out!”

She stopped with an “oh!” And then: “Hey, Sawamura, you have exams soon, right? You’ve been studying, right?”

“Of course.”

“Man, that cheers me up. My brother’s such a muscle-head, I don’t think he’s ever read a book, only manga. Can you believe him?!”

+++

The week of midterms rolled around, a source of great anxiety to Asahi, who stayed up until the small hours of the morning to study (“ _You do know that cramming at the last second doesn’t actually help?_ ” “ _Shut up, man, it’s the only hope I have!_ ”) and so far, they were going alright for Daichi. He’d studied enough, so he just had to trust himself a little bit.

During exams, it was a known rule that if you finished early, you could leave the classroom and go and study for the next day’s exams – provided that you stayed on campus. On the second day, Daichi managed to finish about half an hour ahead, and decided to go and stretch his legs for a while, bored of sitting in the stuffy classroom. When he stood up, his chair scraped against the floor, and instinctively, everyone looked up. Poor Yachi looked horrified that he’d finished early, and began writing twice as fast; to the side, Hinata looked like the exams were slowly killing him.

Briskly, Takeda-sensei hurried up to Daichi’s side, and whispered: “Are you done already, Sawamura-kun?” Daichi nodded slowly. “Don’t you think you should check your answers?”

“No, it’s okay. Please may I leave?” Daichi pointed to the door.

“I suppose so…” Takeda-sensei nodded, and for a second, Daichi saw his eyes flick to Suagwara’s empty seat. Suga had been in class today, but finished well ahead of time and had left as silently as he’d arrived. Inclining his head in thanks, Daichi made his way out of the classroom, well aware of the mutterings of the rest of the class, and Oikawa’s distrustful eyes following him out.

Outside in the hallway, waiting by an open window and watching the rain pour, was Suga himself, not even turning to face Daichi until he stood just to the left of him. “You always finish early, Suga-san,” he commented wistfully.

“Do I?” Suga asked.

“Yeah, you left early yesterday and today, in all five subjects. You left halfway through the exam last period.” Suga didn’t respond to that, and Daichi recalled the Sugawaras who died in April, not really wanting to talk about it. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine, thank you,” Suga tilted his head slightly to face him, and they lapsed into silence again. Perhaps Suga was tired, Daichi thought.

“About the story from twenty-three years ago…” Daichi began, trying to choose his words. “What’s the rest of it?”

“Has nobody told you?” Daichi shook his head. “I suppose that’s understandable.” So it seemed Suga wasn’t in a storytelling mood today, and yet another silence fell.

“Hey, I’ve wanted to ask you something since I transferred here,” Daichi began, “Everyone in class…even the teachers… why do they act… why do they treat you like-”

“Because I don’t exist.”

_“Our school is **close to death.** And Class 3-4 is much, much closer to it.” – “Daichi, man, being serious here. **There’s nobody like that** in our class. I’ve been here for three years, man, I would know. Nobody in our class looks like that.” - “Most importantly, watch how everyone treats… someone.” - “Quit paying attention to **things that aren’t there**. It’s dangerous.”_

“That’s… But…” he was lost for words. This was impossible. This shouldn’t be happening.

“None of them can see me at all, Daichi-kun. To them, I’m invisible,” Suga explained, his voice sounding low and sad. “What if you’re the only one who can see me?” Daichi felt his heart yammering against his ribcage, and it became impossible to swallow or even so much as talk. “What if that’s what I told you? How would you feel?” Suga looked at Daichi then, his eyes filled with pain. “Would you be _scared_?”

“No, but that’s…” On instinct, he took a step back, thinking to all the times he had seen Suga – the roof, the bookstore! He couldn’t have been the only one! “That can’t be true. It can’t be true.”

Before everything could really sink in, Coach Ukai for the volleyball team came speeding down the corridor, before throwing open the door to Class 3-4. “Takeda-sensei! Could you come over here for a second?” Takeda-sensei appeared, and though Daichi heard little of their hushed conversation, Takeda-sensei’s face began withdrawn and grave. “We just got the news…”

What was going on? Did something happen?

For a second, Takeda-sensei withdrew into the classroom, and within ten seconds Kuroo came bolting out, rudely pushing past Coach Ukai, as if in a hurry. He started running towards the stairs where Suga and Daichi were standing, but froze, as if… scared. Daichi felt a cold feeling rush down his spine; this had been the first time he’d seen genuine _fear_ in the volleyball captain’s eyes.

“Kuroo-san, are you okay?” Daichi ventured.

Kuroo froze, and then grinned, but something was wrong, very wrong. “Yeah, man,” he tried to brush it off. “Just they need me at the hospital. My mom…” He trailed off, letting that thought sit for a while, before shaking his head. “Look, I’ll… I’ll see you later, bro, alright?”

“Yeah, sure. I hope everything goes okay.”

“Thanks, man.” With that, Kuroo sped off and away.

Coach Ukai came to stand by Daichi, watching the captain sprint. “Uh, Coach…” Daichi tore his eyes away from Kuroo to face the teacher, “What’s going on with Kuroo?”

“Hm? Oh,” Coach Ukai sighed, before continuing, “We just got an urgent message for him. His mom’s in hospital, and we received word she’s gotten worse, so they need him right away.” _But didn’t Kuroo say that the doctors said she would be fine?_

From the opposite stairwell, there was a yelp of surprise and a horrible thudding noise followed by a crack.

_What was that? What just happened?_

For an awful reason, Daichi recalled the second myth of Miyagi - _since we’re in the third year, you have to make sure not to fall down the stairs on the third floor_ – and it was concern for the boy that made Daichi move towards the stairwell. It would be pretty rough if Kuroo got injured when trying to get to his mom.

Nothing could have prepared him for what he found.

_No-_

_This wasn’t fair-_

_No-_

_No-_

_Not Kuroo-san-_

_What about his mom-_

_He has to go and see his mom-_

_No-_

_No-_

_This wasn’t happening-_

_No-_

_This couldn’t be happening-_

“Ku…roo…san…?” Daichi found his voice at last, as weak and terrified as it sounded, barely heard above the rain.

Sprawled out on the floor at the foot of the stairs was Kuroo Tetsurou, his neck severely out of place. Staring up at Daichi were his cold eyes which had ceased to laugh or sparkle, and on his face was stretched a horrifying mimic of his trademark grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was really unsure about this, so please tell me your thoughts! From now on the story should be a little more fast-paced (hopefully) and once again, there will be quite a lot of deaths in this fic.


	8. Prologue; Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys at the sleepover continue their tale.

“ _The rest of the story is…_ ” the silver-haired storyteller took a deep breath, and his captive audience leant forward – the anxious listener buried his head in his pillow, but peeked out not an instant later. “Well, maybe you’ve heard the news?”

All of them shook their heads.

“I suppose not,” the storyteller chuckled lightly, and leant forward towards them, torchlight casting shadows on his face, and whispered: “I heard that they’re trying to keep it a secret.”

“Keep _what_ a secret?” the impatient boy huffed.

“Someone in Class 3-4 died.” His voice was still hushed, trying not to disturb the palpable tension in the room.

“What?!”

“Nah, that’s crazy talk, I would have heard from my big sis!”

“Would you now? They might even be keeping it a secret from her, too…”

“You kiddin’?! She’s a hound for gossip, there’s no way she hasn’t heard!”

“Countermeasures are always in place to stop this… gossip. We wouldn’t want chaos over a few whispers now, would we?”

Dumbly, the large boy shook his head, scared still. “Wh-What happened?”

“I heard that one of the team managers suffered an unprecedented accident whilst in class,” the storyteller tried to keep his tone aloof, and disguise the fun he was having from the others. “One of the ceiling fans keeping the class cool fell… right onto her head. It was horrific. All of her classmates saw. All of her classmates knew.”

“Knew what?” the smallest boy crawled forward slightly.

The storyteller shook his head in sympathy, like _sorry, can’t help you_ , before continuing. “The day before, her little brother had also died in a hospital operation gone wrong - in a hospital with a very good record of saving lives.”

“You don’t mean Miyagi General, do you? My sister’s doing training there!”

“Yes. But since two people connected to class 3-4 had died deaths that usually would not have happened, it was clear. This was part of the curse.”

“C-Curse? Did that ghost leave it?!”

“Who knows?” the silver-haired boy shrugged nonchalantly. “It doesn’t necessarily happen every year. The two years before it had been _off_ years, and the two years following it had been _off_ years. But this was an on year.”

“What does the curse do? Don’t leave us in the dark, man!”

“Once the curse starts, it strikes the class monthly, for an unknown number of times. Usually the number is above one, but never more than five. Every month, at least one person connected to the class – be it student, teacher, or close family members of that class – **someone dies**.”


	9. June ; after

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daichi continues deals with the aftermath of Kuroo's death, whilst continuing his pursuit for answers.

“Sawamura-kun,” the kindly doctor turned away from his screen to face his patient, “You shouldn’t have much to worry about at this point. Your blip last week was the beginnings of a minor pneumothoracic event, but fortunately it didn’t progress.” He shut off the screen and knit his fingers together. “I don’t believe that you’ll need any special treatment, and if you rest at home for a few days, you should make a full recovery. However… just in case, I want you to make an appointment for this weekend.”

“…Alright,” Daichi replied.

+++

Just a week ago exactly, his lung problem had flared up again upon seeing Kuroo Tetsurou’s horrific accident. Since he hadn’t bothered turning up to school, or trying to strike up conversation with Asahi, he had no idea how things in the class had been since. From what Asahi had told him, he knew that Kuroo’s mother had passed away the same day due to her illness, and that the funeral for mother and child had been conducted quietly. And that naturally… nobody in class could hide the intense shock they felt.

The image that plagued Daichi most behind closed eyelids was Oikawa’s expression as he sped out from the classroom to see the volleyball captain dead. Tears had welled up in his eyes before he shot Daichi a look of vehemence and hatred before turning away with a scowl and walking away.

When Coach Ukai had made him return to the classroom, he felt the cold stares of his classmates on the back of his neck, but nobody said a word. The usual chatter that filled the classroom daily had dispersed completely. As expected, Oikawa and Kuroo’s seats were empty. Turning to look at his classmates, Daichi had realised that he hadn’t imagined the feeling – they all were staring at him, as if this was his fault, as if they were judging him.

At the front of the class, Tanaka had made a loud noise with his throat, before talking in a voice that seemed to shake the air around: “What the hell are you all looking at? Get your head down and study or something, I don’t know!”

Just then, Iwaizumi stood up, and as he walked by Daichi’s desk – almost purposely – he placed a comforting hand on the latter’s shoulder, but then he passed him to stand at the front. Gratefully, Takeda-sensei nodded and left the room. In a more subdued tone than Tanaka had used, but no less firm, he spoke.

“Something terrible has happened. Kuroo Tetsurou is dead. He has just fallen on the west third-floor stairs…” The class rippled at that – _the myth, the myth, the second myth_ seemed to be the silent chant. “…We have lost our classmate and friend; we have lost our volleyball captain, who contributed a lot to this school. Kuroo will be dearly missed by all of us – he really knew how to liven up a place, huh?” Noticing his insensitive choice of words, he frowned, but smoothened out his face again. “At this moment, many of us will be in severe distress. If needs be, take the rest of the week off. When you are ready to reach out again, the rest of us will be here for you, and will always be here for you.” He paused, then emphasized his words. “Everyone understands that, right? We are all here for each other, every one of us. Everyone. So don’t be afraid to grieve, and keep in mind that everyone does so in a different way. Let’s try to be patient with each other, alright?”

Iwaizumi looked around the room, having everyone’s attention now. Out of the corner of his eye, though Daichi didn’t dare turn to look, he saw a silvery boy pass through the back row to the far corner of the room. Suga. His friend. Still, Daichi didn’t dare look, and was for some reason ashamed, or afraid to do so. Oikawa stormed back in, and clattered into his seat, glaring at the wood with gritted teeth – probably to stop the sniffles he made every so often. A few rows in front of him, Asahi was sat in his seat, slightly hunched over as if protecting himself from everyone around him.

By that time, Iwaizumi had left the front of the classroom, and sat on the floor next to Oikawa’s desk, holding his hand as in comfort. For a second, Oikawa looked repulsed, before relaxing, and letting the other boy hold his hand, both talking in hushed tones. In the meantime, Daichi was too afraid to look up at anyone – _not even Nishinoya, not even Tanaka, not even Asahi, not even Kageyama, not even Hinata, not even Yamaguchi, not even Tsukishima, not even Yachi, not even Ennoshita, not even Sugawara_ – and felt silently guilty for a sin he wasn’t even aware he’d committed.

Takeda-sensei came into the room, almost in silent mourning. “Everyone knows what’s happened already, I’m sure. Due to the circumstances of this class, I will allow everyone a free day to grieve on their own time, but please feel free to stick around and comfort each other, if that works better for you. I know sometimes, it worked for me, when I was in your place. No lecture today.”

After Takeda-sensei had finished, a couple of students bolted from the room – Tsukishima and Haiba were the first to go. Following slowly behind them was Shimizu, leading a sobbing Yachi out of the room. Finally, taking Oikawa by the hand, Iwaizumi lead the moderately distressed boy away from the class, but not before Oikawa glared at Daichi for a long enough time that Daichi knew he was hated.

Looking from side to side, he looked for someone to talk to, maybe someone to comfort. There was Sugawara, but he felt like talking to him now would be a big slap in the face to the class, and everyone else seemed to be shying away from him. Which hurt … a lot. Asahi had begun bawling like a big baby at his desk, and having nobody there he could talk to, he felt lost. What he needed was a safe place.

_“You can come in here whenever you want, really. This library is a safe place.”_

So he’d packed up and gone to the library.

It was funny really; Kenma had been in the same position as he was when Daichi had left the library last time – still tucked up on the oversized chair, his head in his game. “Kuroo’s dead.” Kenma didn’t sound happy nor did he sound sad. Wasn’t Kuroo his friend?

“Yeah,” Daichi saw no point in lying, and sat on the other oversized chair in the room, though he couldn’t curl up in it like Kenma could.

“Oh.” _How did Kenma know?_ “I miss Kuroo.” He said simply. “I miss Kuroo very much.” And then he’d turned off his game console with the happy music and leant back and stared at the ceiling. “Then it’s late, this year, then…”

_Late? What was late?_

“Kuroo was reckless. He should have been careful.” It was only then did Daichi realise how upset Kenma was; he just displayed it in a different way to everyone else. Maybe he saw no point in shedding tears; what could they accomplish? “Sawamura-san,” Kenma sat up finally and stared at Daichi. “Let’s do something and not think.”

Daichi had agreed to that plan.

+++

A week later, he hadn’t returned to school, blaming his lung for most of it, though it wasn’t true. What was keeping him away was the disgusting feeling of shame and guilt he felt. It was almost definite the class shared this view. How had Sugawara Koushi been doing since then? It wasn’t as though he was incapable of finding out, since Kenma had given him his number ( _“Not thinking was fun. We should do it again.” – “Yeah, sounds good.”_ )

Distracting him from his thought was that same phone, that was buzzing noisily on his desk. Who could be calling him? The only one who necessarily called him was Nishinoya, and even he kept not answering. The same with everyone else, too. Could it be that they knew it was Daichi calling, and were ignoring the calls on purpose? “Hello?”

“Yo, Sawamura! How’re your lungs?!”

“Wha-”

“There’s no secrets in this hospital, I’ll have you know! You saw a horrible accident up close, and that’s definitely gonna get to you. And what causes a collapsed lung?”

“Stress,” Daichi replied dully. “Saeko-san, how do you even know about this?”

“Well, there are as many secrets in my house as there are in the hospital!” she sure sounded cheery. “My little Ryuu-kun told me!” Oh, right. Tanaka was in his class, and no doubt he’d told his big sister. “Quick question, though, Sawamura! When’s your next check-up?”

“Sunday.”

“You wanna get together after that?”

“Huh?!”

“Something’s been bothering me! Aaaand there’s that other think to talk about too!”

On the Saturday, after his check-up where he got the usual “it’ll be fine”, he met Saeko in a coffee shop. Obviously, she wasn’t her usual self, as she groaned: “Order whatever ya want. My treat.”

“Um… Saeko-san…?” The nurse slumped in her seat, her face extraordinarily pale. “Did you work the night shift?”

“Huh…? Sawamura, you psychic…?” she yawned loudly.

“You’re obviously exhausted!” he exclaimed, horrified. “Rest is important, you know! Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine, I’m still young and-” she began to hack and splutter when she accidentally bit her tongue whilst speaking, much to Daichi’s chagrin.

“You just… bit your own tongue…” he pointed out, not even bothering to argue with her.

“Huh! Well, not everyone can have as much leisure time as you, Sawamura!” she sounded exactly like her brother, Daichi noted with a smile. “The hospital’s been so busy lately, I haven’t had chance to sleep.” With a pout, she continued, staring pointedly at him: “I sure wish I had the doctor’s go ahead to be a lazy bum all week.”  

“I’m sorry.” The apology was out before he could stop it.

“Ah, I don’t care!” she grinned. “I wanted to talk to you, anyway. I had a little convo with Ryuu-chan last night, and it sounds to me that the class you’re in has some special circumstances.”

“Special circumstances?” Daichi echoed the word.

“Yup! I mean, you’re in it, Sawamura, don’t you know anything?”

“The circumstances behind the special circumstances you mean?” Saeko frowned at that, but didn’t stop him. “I don’t really know much either. I know for sure that something’s going on, but nobody’s told me what that something is.”

“I heard about the accident, from Ryuu-chan, and the people in the morgue,” Saeko admitted finally. “What Ryuu-chan tells me matches up with the autopsy – he fell on the stairs and broke his neck. Something like that shouldn’t have killed an incredibly healthy guy like that. And I don’t know why, but Ryuu-chan… seems scared. That muscle-head hasn’t been scared of anything since the second he was born.” She lowered her voice and cupped her hand to her mouth again. “The accident last week wasn’t just an accident. I think that’s what he thinks.”

It wasn’t an accident? How? “Why would he-”

 _“But, uh, hey! Daichi-san! Do you believe in ghosts? Or curses?”_ Hinata’s cheerful voice swirled in his brain; why was that coming back now, of all times? Was he genuinely believing that? No, it was stupid and illogical. That couldn’t be it.

“Say, Saeko-san,” Daichi spoke up after she’d ordered coffee. “Has your brother ever mentioned the name Sugawara Koushi?”

“Suga-kun?” the reply was instant. “Mm, yeah, he used to tell me about him all the time. How brilliant of a game strategist Suga-kun was, how kind Suga-kun was… But then, he stopped mentioning Suga-kun at all! Once I asked him about it, and he was like _, I don’t know any Suga, what the hell, Saeko_!” She began placing cubes of sugar in her coffee once it arrived. “Why do you ask?”

“You know the thing I promised I would tell you?”

“Oooh, yeah…”

“The thing is, Suga has something to do with it.”

“And what makes you say that?! Suga-kun was your normal, happy kid when I saw him last!”

“Well, for example, you know Nishinoya?”

“Yeah! He says I’m like his big sister!” At that, Saeko blushed, happy to be a pseudo-elder sibling.

“He told me that I should _quit paying attention to things that aren’t there_ ,” Saeko looked positively confused at this claim, so Daichi carried on. “According to Suga, it means nobody can see him. Like at all. And then that accident happened.” He didn’t want to even mention or hear Kuroo’s name yet; each time it was implied, he felt the ghost of a burden – when it was spoken, that burden came crashing down onto his head.

“Huh, the accident was probably a coincidence,” Saeko shrugged. “I mean, what could link those two things together?! But if you take that ghost story from twenty-three years ago, then… Hey, isn’t this beginning to sound like a horror manga?!” She was still absentmindedly adding sugar to her coffee. It was almost unhealthy now, Daichi thought.

Daichi couldn’t find it in him to laugh. “I don’t have any idea how the two are connected, but I feel like there is a connection.”

“Hmm, I get you, I get you. I could find some things out,” she raised the coffee mug to her lips, trying to look aloof and serious, but within a second, she’d spat it out again, with a cry of “Woah! That’s **sweet**!”

“Saeko-san?!”

“What’s up with this coffee, huh?! It’s too damn sweet!”

“Well, of course it is!” Daichi groaned, exasperated. “You’ve put god knows how many sugar cubes in there! And now I forgot what we’re talking about!”

Once the two were parting, she offered to take him home, but he declined, saying he wanted to walk to clear his head. “Hey, Sawamura!” she called from her car. “If I find anything, I’ll call you!”

“Okay!” he replied.

“And we should both be careful! Like, avoid any accidents that usually don’t happen, okay?!” He nodded at that and she’d cheered, before clambering into her car and speeding away. _If she wants to evade avoidable accidents, maybe she should start by not driving,_ Daichi thought to himself with a tiny smile, before turning around and walking away, his thoughts getting darker.

 _Not just an accident, huh?_ He wondered what Tanaka Ryuunosuke could be so afraid of. It was likely the same thing Kuroo had been afraid of and tried to cover up. The day of his accident, he’d been making his way towards the stairs Suga and Daichi had been standing at. After bluffing for a few seconds, he’d then turned around and began running as fast as he could away from the pair, and then to the stairwell where he’d fallen.

What if Kuroo had gone down the stairs where Daichi and Suga were at, like he’d meant to? Maybe his accident wouldn’t have happened.

Why did Kuroo do that? Why? As soon as he saw Daichi and Suga-

Almost as if his feet had dragged him there automatically, he found himself stood outside that dreary bookstore. Maybe… he should go inside and look for two things. One, Suga, and two, a book to take up his time. If Suga wasn’t in school, Daichi hazarded a guess that he’d be hiding in here to recover. _It’s just calm down here_ – isn’t that was what he said? Taking a hesitant step in, he found himself greeted by the silence of the old books, the musty smell being a sharp contrast from the freshness of the air outside as summer finally set in.

Down the stairs at the back, in the little room tucked out of sight, Suga was laid on the floor there, surrounded by several books. With a little realisation, Daichi noticed that he was staring at illustrations in books, all juxtaposing each other. One was a manga style volleyball player with dark wings like a crow’s added onto his back in biro (did Suga do that?), and then an overly vibrant illustration of a monster of some kind, and next to that one, the soft hues and pastel shades of art from a children’s book.

“Suga?” he asked hesitantly.

Suga didn’t bother looking up from the book he was currently staring intently at – the children’s book of illustrations, at a page with a dancing monkey on it in a red waist coat. “Daichi-kun,” he replied, almost in a playfully mocking tone. “I take it you like coming here now as a customer? Or were you looking for me?”

Suddenly, Daichi’s cheeks burned red, as he sat next to the boy, stuttering about the books instead of admitting he had indeed been keeping an eye out for him. “Do you, uh, usually look at kid’s books?”

Suga nodded. “They remind me of happier times. You should try it sometime, Daichi-kun.” He held the book up. “See? Do you think it cheers you up a little?” It didn’t, but he nodded anyway, because it would make Suga smile.

Then, he remembered the conversations he’d had with Saeko, and without contemplating the pros and cons of bringing it up, the words were out of his mouth. “So you and I were in the hospital at the same time, huh? Glad you’re feeling better now.”

With a frown, Suga glanced up from the kid’s book, which was now displaying a sparkling fish with multi-coloured scale. Suga was resting his fingertips on it. “I was in the hospital, yes, but I wasn’t exactly a patient there.”

“Really? I heard that someone called Sugawara was in a car accident and had to go through surgery.” It became all but impossible for him to keep the accusatory tone from his voice, and he wanted to kick himself.

With an incredibly rapid, fluid motion, Suga was facing him, staring at Daichi with a renewed intensity, a mixture of surprise and anger flashing in his eyes. “I guess there’s no thing as hospital privacy, is there?” He sounded incredibly bitter.

“If you were in the hospital, why would you lie about it? Unless you were hiding something. Like how serious your condition was, as if it was so bad that you didn’t make it out?”

Suga opened his mouth again in protest, but shut it after making no noise. For a while, he didn’t talk, until all emotions had gone from his eyes. Gently, he took Daichi’s hand in both of his, and sat on his knees, holding it in his lap. Then, with a gentle voice, he began to talk. “Everyone in class has been scared. They think that’s it’s started. That’s what they think.” He chuckled quietly at a joke far beyond Daichi’s understanding. “I guess I only ever half-believed it. First that happened… and then in May, you transferred, and despite what I said to you… I still doubted. But now…” his grip became a lot stronger on Daichi’s hand, “it looks like it really is happening. One hundred percent certainty now.” Daichi stared at him with a very blank expression. “You still don’t know, Daichi-kun?” Suga sounded incredibly sorrowful. “Then… maybe you aren’t to know. If you found out, then… maybe…”

He stood up abruptly, dropping Daichi’s hand to the floor with a soft thud.

“You should be careful, Daichi-kun.” His hazel eyes seemed to be staring far away. “Are you going to school tomorrow?”

“Yeah. I’ve missed too much, and I need to catch up with exams.”

“Then I’ll stay away.” Suga nodded decisively. “Oh, and Daichi-kun? To be safe, you probably shouldn’t tell anyone that you saw me here. Not now that’s it’s started. So… be careful.”


	10. June; white noise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next week for Daichi is filled with white noise.

The following week was a lonely one; Asahi and his group of friends continued to be ever occupied by something, and most of the class members hadn’t so much as looked at Daichi ever since Kuroo’s fall – it seemed like they were purposefully going out of their way to avoid him; not that he had any proof or a valid reason why, but just a hunch. It was almost a new game to the class to avoid him as he’d been the only one not let in on the secret.

Saying that, throughout the week, the only person that wasn’t treating him coldly (besides Asahi, but he had gone to being a nervous wreck) was Hinata. At any opportunity he could find, he came and sat with Daichi briefly and held loud conversations with him whilst asking for help with the work. To Daichi, it seemed like this was Hinata’s way of saying sorry for the behaviour of his peers, and this was the best he could do.

The whispers he heard around him, even from friends, made it almost unbearable too.

_“Kuroo-san used the west staircase, right?” Nishinoya had leant forward to address the group that Daichi was sitting at the peripheral of. It was a blessing that he’d been allowed to sit there._

_“Why the hell would he use a staircase so far away? I mean, the east ones are literally outside our class!” Tanaka had hissed back._

_“He must have had a reason, or he wouldn’t have done it,” Tsukishima added helpfully._

_“Haiba-san said he saw…” Yamaguchi spoke up, but then trailed off._

_“Saw what…?” Asahi prodded him._

_“When Daichi…” He hadn’t heard the rest, as they shot a look at Iwaizumi, Oikawa, and the rest of their group, which consisted of Kyotani and Turnip Head – no, his name was Kindaichi, be respectful!_

Oikawa came back towards the end of the week too, and in contrast with his previous behaviour, he seemed very cold now, especially towards Daichi. Every so often, he caught the head of countermeasures mumbling his breath, usually grieving the loss of his friend, and sometimes muttering darkly. Whenever this happened, Iwaizumi would pinch his skin and Oikawa would look down and away from anybody. At one point, feeling extremely sorry for Oikawa’s loss – they were friends, he assumed, Daichi approached Oikawa and offered assistance in any way; whatever Oikawa felt that he needed, Daichi would provide – somebody to vent to and listen, somebody to help with homework, anything really.

However, the look he received after this offer was nothing short of venomous. Though Oikawa recovered quickly enough to spare Daichi a wan smile and mumbled: “No, no. There’s not a that anyone can do for me now.” And then, after an uncomfortably long pause, “But thank you, I know you mean well. But please, thank you, no.”

Feeling even more horrible and wondering what an earth he’d done to deserve the class’s disapproval, Daichi slunk back to his seat. Tanaka had seen what had happened, and even though he’d not really spoken to Daichi for a while, he rose from his seat with an expression of fury, but before he could get up, Nishinoya sat him down, as if sensing the tension. In a quiet conversation, Tanaka resorted to crossing his arm and sitting in grumpy silence.

Daichi was still in earshot of their conversation, and listened in, though felt bad about doing so.

_“I seriously didn’t think it would happen this year,” Iwaizumi commented, with a big breath out. He was still holding Oikawa’s hand – had he ever let go?_

_“There are two possibilities,” Kindaichi chipped in. “It could be not happening this year, and Kuroo’s death was just a coincidence. Either that, or it started in May. That’s what I think.”_

_“As head of countermeasures, I can’t sit back and rely on wishful thinking,” Oikawa told him sternly. “It would be one thing if it was just Kuroo-kun, but his mom too?”_

_“It’s because that transfer guy broke the rules,” Kyotani mumbled viciously, not really caring. “We had the right number this year. Until he bumped it up by one. So it’s gotta be him, yeah?”_

_“Yes, why did they put a transfer student into this class anyway?” Kindaichi wanted to know._

_“It was convenient for the school. The new principal doesn’t quite understand the situation of our class.”_

_“Then shouldn’t the teachers explain it?” Kyotani continued._

_“The teachers probably thought it was better to keep it between the students,” Oikawa reasoned. “Meaning that even our good old senseis won’t help.”_

_“So we’re on our own,” Iwaizumi sighed, tightening his grip on Oikawa’s hand._

_“This was all because I wasn’t here on his first day,” Oikawa commented. “If I’d warned Daichi-san in advance, this wouldn’t have –”_

_At that point, Iwaizumi had put his hand on Oikawa’s cheek. “Don’t beat yourself up. What’s done is done. What we should be doing now is asking ourselves what we’re going to do it about it, and how to alert Sawamura-san as to what is going on.”_

_“It’ll be hard telling him now,” Kindaichi had shrugged._

_“More countermeasures,” Kyotani had grunted. After that, they fell silent._

As anticipated, Suga wasn’t in his seat at all throughout the week. Why would he of all people be avoiding Daichi?

Hence, he ended up in the sanctuary of the library, as it was quiet and deserted, making it the perfect place to contemplate on anything, or catch up with homework, or read the book Suga had left on his desk (who else could have left it? And when did it even get there? When had Suga been in the classroom?). He had also taken to spending time with Kenma and helping the other boy cope, and listen to tales about their childhood – they were childhood friends, he thought to himself with a pang of sadness – and just keep the other boy company. Sometimes Hinata would come in too, and sit by Kenma, grabbing his hand when he was sad, and telling bad jokes. Daichi noted that Kenma called Hinata by his first name.

In the library there was always an understood silence, though – the sound of Daichi’s pen scratching at paper, the sound of console buttons being pressed in rapid succession, the scuffle of feet of another unseen patron of the library. Today, though, Daichi looked up from his work to see precisely who this patron was. To his surprise, he saw Ennoshita standing there, struggling with a large pile of books. Feeling an urge to make himself useful, he stood, leaving his stuff spread all over the table, and approached him. “Need help?” he offered, smiling when Ennoshita turned to look at him, still balancing them in his arms carefully. He nodded, so Daichi took half the books off him.

Relieved, he sighed. “Thanks, it was getting uncomfortable with all those at once.”

“Don’t mind,” Daichi grinned, following him down the rows of shelves and placing them back. “I thought Kenma was the librarian, though.”

“Kenma is the librarian. I’m the librarian. Everyone’s the librarian,” Ennoshita explained. “You serve yourself.”

“Oh, really? They place a lot of trust in the students.”

“It was Su… someone’s idea.” There was an awkward pause, but Ennoshita covered it. “So, how are you enjoying Class 3-4?”

Somehow, that didn’t seem like a great question to ask. “Yeah, it’s… okay,” he said non-committedly. “Nowadays, everyone is just…on edge. I mean, I know everyone’s grieving over Kuroo, but it feels like everyone isn’t sad. They’re… tense. But I’m probably imagining it.”

“You’re not,” Ennoshita said sullenly, shifting on the carpet. “Listen, I have to say sorry to you. If it seemed like I was avoiding you last week, I guess I was.” He hung his head in shame. “I don’t have any excuse. I didn’t know what to say. After Kuroo… you know. Everyone was freaked out. It looks like things have started…”

“I don’t know what’s going on, but I know it’s why people are so scared. It seems like they were avoiding me specifically.” Cautiously, he looked at Ennoshita, waiting for him to explain it away or give him assurances that this wasn’t the case.

Instead, he sighed, and said: “You noticed.” He looked at Daichi for a long while, contemplative. “It isn’t in your head. They were. I wish I could say more, but… I know it sounds stupid, but I feel like Kuroo died because of me. Because I’ve… acknowledged someone. I broke a class rule. I gave you hints that Oikawa-san was meant to give you.” His eyes misted with tears. “I can’t help but think that. A classmate could have died because of me. It had to be my fault. I’m sorry I took it out on you, Sawamura-san.” He stopped talking in an attempt to regain control over his voice.

Daichi simply stared on in sympathy, the only one brave enough to dare give him hints – Suga didn’t really count, considering that other people didn’t even see him. “It wasn’t your fault, Ennoshita-san. It might have been just an accident; has no one thought that was possible? It wasn’t your fault.” When he sighed again, Daichi asked in a quiet voice: “You aren’t going to tell me the rest of it, are you?”

“No. I can’t, I’m sorry. I know it’s really stupid, but I don’t want to take any chances now. I think a lot of people in our class are starting to believe now. I hope that Oikawa-san gets to finally talk to you soon, so you don’t have to be in the dark for much longer.”

Daichi started to shrug it off, but then the conversation started to remind him of something that Ennsohita had said to him before. “You told me once to watch how everyone treats someone, and if I watched closely enough, that I-”

“I can’t say any more about it. Believe me that I would if I could. I can’t risk it anymore.”

On the walk to school the following morning, Daichi saw Yachi walking away from the school, not dressed in uniform. Sensibly, she was wrapped up warm, as the weather outside was incredibly windy, making a mess of her blonde hair. To the side of them, two men were doing repairs on a building, and several panes of glass had been leant precariously above on the scaffolding.

“Oh, look who I found! Sawamura-kun!” she greeted him enthusiastically. Aside from Hinata, Asahi and Kenma, she was the only other person willing to give him the time of day. She seemed the forgiving sort.“Are you skipping school?”

“No, unfortunately,” Daichi replied with a little laugh. “I’ve taken the week off, so I need to catch up.”

“Oh, uh,” she giggled awkwardly then, “that makes sense I suppose!”

“What about you? Are you sick?” He inquired politely.

“Yeah, that’s right,” Yachi smiled, and burst into a coughing fit, even doubling over so much that Daichi became seriously concerned, but she straightened up with a smile on her face. Oh, she was joking.

“You’re quite the actress, huh?” Daichi grinned down at her, and she reciprocated it.

“This may sound strange, but I’m happy you think so…” she trailed off, embarrassed. “It means all my hard work in the theatre club is paying off! Even if I am only townsperson B most of the time…” She thought for a moment. “Oikawa-kun goes too!”

Oikawa?! The thought of Oikawa prancing about on stage, whilst not unlikely, made Daichi snort.

“He tends to be very dramatic,” Yachi confided in him, but Daichi had been expecting that. Still, it made sense – attending theatre had obviously helped Oikawa became a professional at masking his true feelings and intentions, like that day in the hospital, or like that day at the footlockers when Kuroo was still alive. “Still, Oikawa-kun isn’t a bad person. Promise me you’ll help him out!”

Before he could answer, a strong gust of wind blew, and one of those panes of class toppled. Without thinking much, Daichi dropped his bag and threw himself at Yachi, hoping to act as a shield for her against the falling object. The second he’d wrestled her out of harm’s way, there was a horrible shattering sound as shards of glass scattered in the area they’d just been standing in. As the last shard fell and shattered, the blood drained from Yachi’s face.

She burst into loud noisy tears. “No, no, not me…” she wailed hysterically. “It’s not meant to be me! I’m not meant to die!”

+++

“Uh… Noya. Your phone’s ringin’,” Tanaka pointed out.

“Oh, crap, you’re right,” Nishinoya grinned cheekily. “Looks like I forgot to turn it on silent! Good thing we weren’t in class, huh, Ryuu?” He pulled it out of his pocket and tensed when he saw the caller ID: **DAICHI.**

For a moment, he hesitated to answer it, before Tsukishima glared at him. “What are you doing? Either answer it or shut it off.”

“Uhhh, could we just agree that I’m humming?” Nishinoya tried.

“No, you can’t say that,” Kageyama told him. “Just hurry up and answer!”

Hesitantly, Noya did as he was told. “…Hello?”

“Where are you?” Daichi asked.

“Urk!”

“No, you’re not in ‘ _urk_ ’, tell me where you are.”

“How about on the roof…?”

“What a coincidence! I’m on the roof right now, too.”

“Fine. I’m in the courtyard.”

Faithfully, Nishinoya waited in the courtyard whilst Daichi walked down to meet him. Strangely enough, Nishinoya was alone, except for Oikawa. Daichi had never seen the pair hanging around together, so he immediately knew that whoever Nishinoya was with before had gone to notify Oikawa of something. Even so, the head of countermeasures was glowering at Daichi as if he’d killed his cat and hurled its poor body onto a bonfire.

“I’ve been calling you since last week, but you never answered,” Daichi quirked an eyebrow at Nishinoya.

“Uh…!” Nishinoya placed his hands together, as if praying, “Sorry! That was… bad timing, and stuff like that! Besides, you were sick, right?” Behind him, Tanaka was nodding, as if to confirm Nishinoya was telling the truth.

“You promised me last month that you’d tell me everything in June. The rest of that story from twenty-three years ago. Just what happened with that?”

“Woah, hold on a sec, Daichi-san!” Nishinoya held his hands up as if in surrender. “Yeah, I did promise. I did, but…”

“The situation has changed,” Oikawa’s cold voice cut in.

“Yeah!” Nishinoya agreed, mimicking Oikawa when he next spoke, “The situation has changed!”

“Normally, it’s up to the head of countermeasures to deal with this kind of thing,” Oikawa continued, ignoring Nishinoya. “Things just got complicated because _somebody_ …” he trailed off, and Daichi had no idea who he was referencing too, “decided to take matters into his own hands without discussing with the team.”

“You want me to pretend he didn’t make the promise.”

“I do, as a personal favour, if you don’t mind, Daichi-san. No,” Oikawa frowned then, “Do it as a favour to everyone in our class.” With a reluctant sigh, Daichi hesitantly agreed.

“Just tell me one thing, Noya-san,” Daichi turned to the small boy, “You once told me to quit paying attention to things that aren’t there. What did you-?” At his question, Oikawa glowered at Noya, who smiled sheepishly and shrunk back.  Just then, his phone began to ring, a shrill sharp sound, silencing any potential conversation. “Sorry.” He held up a hand as he checked the caller ID: **TANAKA SAEKO**.

“What were you thinking?!” Oikawa had snapped at Noya, who was holding his hands up in mock surrender, as Daichi answered the call.

“Well…” Nishinoya began to speak.

“Explain yourself!” Oikawa demanded.

“I was getting to that if you’d let me!”

“Do you realise what you said? We have enough to worry about as it is!”

Daichi focused his attention on the call, trying to block the two bickering boys behind him. “Yo, Sawamura! You okay to talk right now?”

“Yeah,” Daichi replied.

“I just really wanted to check something with ya, if you don’t mind!”

“Of course I don’t mind. What did you want to check?”

“About the dude you told me about. Uh… Sugawara, right?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Can you really see him? Does he… actually exist?”

“Yeah! Of course he does.” Even Daichi could tell he was trying to convince himself more than Saeko.

“Where is he now? Is he nearby?”

“Sorry, I can’t tell you. He’s not been in school all week. Why do you want to know?”

“Well,” she said in her sing song voice. “I was talking to Ryuu-chan last night, and asked him a couple questions, ya know? I asked him about the thing twenty-three years ago and about the accident last week, but he was just stalling. So I decided to ask about Suga-kun, and boy, did he change quick!” Her voice went as low as she could get it to imitate her younger sibling. “ _What are you talkin’ ‘bout, Saeko? There’s no-one like that in our class!_ He was adamant! Even though Suga-kun and he were friends a couple years ago!”

“That’s…a total lie,” Daichi told her. In the background, he heard the beep and familiar rumble of an elevator in operation; oh, so she was on the hospital roof.

“He was dead serious!” Saeko sounded dramatic. “And he has no reason to lie to me. I’m his big sister! Oooh, if I find out he’s been lying, I’ll make him pay!”

Suga had to exist. Daichi had seen him dozens of times. Even talked to him. How could he possibly not exist? It was crazy.

In the distance, he heard the elevator doors opening and closing as she got inside. “I promise you, Sugawara Koushi exists!” A wave of static rose up and threatened to engulf the phone call. “Saeko-san, can you hear me?”

“Sorry, I’m in the elevator. I was on the roof. Sorry, I have to get back to work,” she laughed, and he heard the beep of a button being pressed through the white noise.

After about two seconds, there was a horrible, disgusting screeching noise that could be heard through the static. “What the f-!” he heard Saeko yell through the horrible, cloying static, and several noises of distress.

“Saeko-san! Can you hear me?!” Daichi yelled into his phone.

“What’s going on?!” Saeko’s voice had risen in near-hysteria. It was the first time Daichi had ever heard her voice without her usual happy tones. “Ryuu-chan!”

After a gasp of horror from the nurse, there was a horrifying bang that was clearly heard, and following that, a scream of pain. In the background was the noises of things falling, metal hitting metal. From behind him, Oikawa and Nishinoya were listening with an equal amount of horror and fear on their faces, eyes wide.

Then, that horrible static was back, covering up anything, and then the beeping of a disconnected call. For a while, the trio descended into silence, not wanting to speak.

It was Nishinoya who broke it at last, with a distraught whisper.

“… _Saeko-neesan…?_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry! 
> 
> As always, please leave criticisms and comments, I will welcome everything!


	11. June; truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the aftermath of Saeko's death, finally, Daichi discovers the true nature of Class 3-4.

_“Tanaka Saeko, was it? She and that transfer student were always talking together…” Morisuke Yaku was knelt at the shrine, hands together in prayer next to Lev, heads bowed. His tall (and annoying) friendhad told him to come with him to pay his respects, even though the two of them had no idea who it was. Lev’s reasoning was that it was the family member of a friend, and it would be polite. Yaku hadn’t got a retort for that, and left it be._

_“Woah, you saw them?”_

_“Yeah, a couple times. If I didn’t know better, they looked like they were on a date.”_

_“Ew, gross!” Lev smacked Yaku’s shoulder. It stung, but Yaku wasn’t about to tell Lev that.“Still, she was so young. I’m worried about her brother.”_

_“Oh, she had a brother?”_

_“Yeah, his name is Ryuunosuke. He’s in my class,” Lev explained briefly._

_“Oh, this is so awful! Didn’t a boy in your class die in an accident recently too?” Yaku clasped a hand to his face._

_Nearby, a woman, clad in black, began to wail quietly, her hands in prayer, her face guarded by a veil. “After a death, there’s always a funeral… Oh, I’m so tired of funerals… So… very tired of funerals.”_

_“Huh?” Lev and Yaku simultaneously to face the strange woman. Peeking through the veil was rich brown hair, but as for her facial features, none could be seen clearly._

_“I don’t want to go… no more funerals…” the woman looked up to the sky, dropped her head just as quickly and began to cry quietly._

+++

Tanaka Saeko was dead.

“The news about Tanaka-san’s sister comes as a terrible shock.” Once more, Iwaizumi was stood at the front of the classroom, arms folded, and his eyes staring at the class. They seemed unwavering and shut off, Daichi noticed. As if the breath of every student had crystallized in air in that instant, a weird silence seemed to smother the room and threaten to choke him. He looked down, clenching his fists on the desk in front of him. The need to begin crying was almost unbearable, but he wouldn’t be the first to cave in.

As anticipated, Tanaka was off school – he didn’t have any parents, did he? Only his sister. What was he going to do now? That was no wonder. Grief was a place where a person went alone, he’d realised. It was like a room without doors, and what happened in that room, all of the anger and pain that was felt was meant to stay there, and be nobody’s business except yours. Nishinoya was nowhere to be seen as well, but perhaps he was close to Saeko too. There was no eliminating the image of his crestfallen, heartbroken face as he called out _Saeko-neesan?_ , and Daichi had to put clear effort into removing it from his brain. _Noya. Tanaka. Saeko. Kuroo._ Their names swirled in his head on repeat. Why did he feel responsible for them?

“But,” Iwaizumi continued. Behind him, Oikawa had his eyes fixed on the wall, not looking at anybody or anything, “It will be alright. If we all try hard together, we can surely overcome this.” He was almost like a pre-recorded message on a voicemail, Daichi thought. As this crept through his brain, Oikawa stepped forward, as if ready to address the class.

“I think that from Kuroo-san’s death, and from Tanaka-san’s sister’s death, we can take something from it. We can learn something from it.” Oikawa’s voice was so full of feeling, it nearly made the tears threating to emerge in Daichi’s eyes spill over. “Learn to treasure your life, because unfortunately, it can be taken from you at any time.”

As he finished speaking, the classroom door rolled open slowly and quietly, revealing Sugawara Koushi. Closing the door behind him inaudibly, he made his way along the back of the class to reach his seat, his footfalls near silent, but there. Still, not a single person bothered to turn to look at Suga, as if there were no student like him in the class at all. As if he didn’t exist.

_To them, I’m invisible._

Daichi shuddered, and watched Iwaizumi and Oikawa make their way back to their seats, as Takeda-sensei stepped up to the front again, looking serious. “What Iwaizumi-kun and Oikawa-kun said is incredibly important. I’m sure if we work together as a team, we can still emerge in March on graduation with a smile on our faces, and with hopes that we have done our friends proud.” The smile was back, Daichi thought. Did Takeda-sensei ever stop smiling for more than a few seconds.

Once the bell for break rang, and Daichi went to stand at the window behind Suga’s seat, as if he was perchance staring at the blustery weather outside. “So, she died. Tanaka’s sister, Saeko-san…”

“Oh…” Sugawara stared at him with wide eyes, his unguarded expression one of shock. Then, he nodded numbly, and focused back to the window as well. “Was she sick? Or was it-”

“They say it was an accident,” Daichi replied glumly.

“I see.”

Though Daichi knew he wasn’t supposed to see him, Oikawa was staring at him fixedly from across the classroom; even the group who was with him seemed to be scanning him for something. As usual, Iwaizumi was ever glued to his side, and Turnip Head (Kindaichi, dammit!) as well as Kyoutani. Surprisingly, Yachi was stood in front of him too as if she was telling him something; she as well was staring at Daichi with her head slightly turned. Her eyes were filled with fear, but she was doing well at covering it up.

 _What’s with them? Are they talking about us?_ Daichi thought, giving Suga a cursory glance. _Or… could it be? Could it truly be that in their eyes… all they can see right now is me?_

The next class wasn’t much better. By the time the bell had rung, Suga had already vanished. Since they’d been placed in randomized partners by Takeda-sensei, Daichi was paired with Hinata. Since it was history, they’d been forced to prepare a presentation about a Japanese dynasty of their choosing, and he and Hinata had gone for the Nara period, simply because a lot had happened, and it was easier to score marks. Lately, he hadn’t been so chipper, but he was trying – Daichi could just tell. “Noya-san’s off sick…” Hinata grumbled, “I wonder why. Hey, Daichi-san! You don’t think he has a life-threatening illness, do you?!”

Hurriedly, Daichi looked around to make sure nobody had heard Hinata. “Ssh! Don’t worry the people here!” He hissed, and Hinata nodded fervently. “I’m sure Nishinoya-san’s fine. Are you that worried?”

“I mean, Kuroo-san and his mom just died… and now there’s Tanaka’s sister. So I thought-”

“Hinata-san. Are you saying they’re related?”

“Huh?!” Hinata exclaimed so loudly several people looked up, but Daichi waved them down, pointing at the work in front of them, mouthing: _he’s just confused_. With that, they all nodded and turned away. **Crisis averted** , Daichi thought.

“So the thing with…” Daichi lowered his voice, as if to hint to Hinata to do the same, “…Kuroo-san and Saeko-san… and supposing that the same thing were to happen to Nishinoya-san… are you saying they’re connected?”

Hinata looked around wildly, as if seeking someone to save him from these questions, but since it was quiet partner work, nobody was there. “Uh, uh! I-I-I don’t, I don’t…” Clearly panicking, Hinata began to focus on the laptop in front of him.

“Don’t mind,” Daichi sighed, and also turned to the work in front of him.

Before he could make much progress, however, a subdued voice called his name out; Kenma was stood in the doorway, shifting awkwardly under the gazes of seventeen students. “Sorry, Takeda-sensei…” he mumbled. “Sawamura-san is needed in the office right away.” With Takeda-sensei’s dismissal, Daichi stood, bowed quickly to Hinata with promises of making it up to him, and followed Kenma down the hall. Despite his short stature, Kenma could move surprisingly fast.

Wordlessly, Kenma lead him to the guidance counsellor’s office ( _oh dear_ , Daichi thought inwardly) where he was ushered inside by Coach Ukai, who closed the door on Kenma – _kinda rude_ – and he was hurriedly sat on an uncomfortable chair, opposite two relatively young men in suits.

“You’re Sawamura Daichi-kun, correct?” the one seated asked him. Daichi nodded, confused.

“My name is Ushijima Wakatoshi, and this is Semi Eita. We’re from the Miyagi Police Department. We need to ask you some questions,” he turned to the very thin file on his desk. “You know that Tanaka Saeko-san died yesterday?”

“Yes…” Daichi had a very uneasy feeling. “I heard there was an accident.”

“You didn’t see the papers this morning?” Semi asked, and shrugged when Daichi shook his head.

“There was a malfunction with the elevator. It hit the bottom with the full force of the fall, and the impact caused the iron beam in the ceiling to fall on her. The cause of death has since been confirmed as cerebral contusion. We’re investigating the cause and any administrative responsibility.” Even though his sentences were brief, each one seemed to hit Daichi like a punch. “It was an extremely sad, unfortunate accident.”

“The last the call on her cell’s history was at one o’clock yesterday, exactly when the accident occurred. So, we wanted to ask you about what happened,” Semi explained hurriedly.

“Ah,” Daichi nodded, throat feeling tight. “I understand.” As quickly as he could, and adamantly refusing to stare at either officer in the eye, he told them the events of the previous afternoon.

“I see,” Ushijima was nodding along. “So the call cut off suddenly. Did you tell anybody about it?”

“I had no idea what was going on, but… I thought it might have been bad, so I went to find Tanaka-san.”

“Who? Oh, right, the younger brother. He’s in the same class as you, correct?”

“I told him what I heard on the phone, but he didn’t take me very seriously.”

_“Hah? What are you talking about, Daichi-san?” Tanaka had gone defensive then. “What about my sister? Hey, you’re not making any sense!”_

_“But-”_

_“Look.” Tanaka had glared then, properly. “Quit feeding my sister crazy stories. You’re causing a lot of problems for me alright?” He’d turned away then. “She’s into all that stuff, so…”_

“What caused the accident?” Daichi snapped himself out of his own reverie.

“From what we’ve uncovered, the elevator fell due to a wire snapping,” Ushijima was glancing at his file. “Normally, there are safety measures, and this shouldn’t have happened. It was just an accident. That’s all.”

“All we can say is that she had terrible luck,” Semi patted Daichi awkwardly on the back. With that clear dismissal, he was freed from the room, and for a while, he drifted, feeling light-headed and soulless, not really sure of a direction. Finally, he found himself in his strangely empty homeroom, where he collapsed in Suga’s chair, by the window. The weight of the emptiness that was death, the reality of it, was crushing him.

 _We should both be careful! Like, avoid any accidents that usually don’t happen, okay?_!

“Yeah,” Daichi nodded to nobody, tears running freely down his face. “Yeah, I will. Thanks for looking out for me, Saeko-san.”

On the desk, his fingers ran along a rough scratchy surface, and he glanced down. Carved into the desk, very neatly, were the words: **who is the casualty?**

Behind him, the door slid open, and briefly, Daichi looked over, his heart soaring with hope: _Suga?!_ No, it was merely Takeda-sensei. “Sawamura-kun. Have you finished talking with the police?”

“Uh…yes,” Daichi hastily wiped the tears off of his face as he faced the teacher.

“During homeroom, we decided to hold a class 3-4 only sports festival. To honour Kuroo-kun. He was our special captain, you know. You can go home now, if you’d like.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m sure what happened to Tanaka-san’s sister was a shock for you,” Takeda-sensei came to lean on the window next to him, almost like a student himself. “You shouldn’t let yourself become too downhearted. Things will be alright. If we all pull together, I’m confident we can all get through this!” He smiled, giving Daichi a dorky thumbs-up.

“To do that, though,” he looked away, with a serious expression, “We need you to go along with whatever the class decides. Alright?”

“A-Alright.”

“Head home now, Sawamura-kun,” Takeda-sensei sounded very tired. “Please rest. Think of your health.”

“I will do. Thank you, sensei. I’ll head on home now.”

This, of course, was a lie, as he made a beeline straight for Suga’s beloved bookstore. As usual, the place was open and seemingly deserted, but Daichi knew where to find Suga. There he was, curled up with yet another book. It looked like a horror book.

To make Suga aware of his presence, Daichi cleared his throat. Instantly, the other looked up, his face looking scared, but relaxing into a smile when he saw it was Daichi. “Daichi-kun. What do I owe the pleasure?”

“I…” _Wanted to see you. Have questions. Am confused and scared and sad and need someone._ “Who’s the casualty? Are you the casualty?”

Suga peered at him curiously. With only so much as nodding, Suga put down his book with a little sigh. “You’re very inquisitive, Daichi-kun! Come upstairs. It’s comfier. I’ll make us tea.”

Suga led Daichi to the upstairs seating area where they’d talked before, the homey little circular area with cushy chairs surrounding the coffee table. Leaving Daichi alone briefly to make tea, the kettle singing in the background, Suga returned quickly with an old-fashioned pot of tea and two cups. _How quaint_ , Daichi thought.

On the coffee table was the fairytale book from before, and Daichi peered down at it curiously. Before thinking much about it, Daichi placed a hand over the illustration, as if he wanted to will it to life. A few seconds later, Suga placed his hand on top of Daichi’s. Comforting him?

“How does my hand feel to you?” Suga asked.

“They’re… they’re…” Daichi stuttered, feeling stupid, “I don’t know, kind of soft?”

“No, Daichi-kun, that’s not what I mean,” Suga shook his head. “They’re warm, aren’t they?”

“Erm, yes,” Daichi looked away awkwardly, unsure of where this conversation was leading.

“When someone has passed away, how do they generally feel?”

“Cold, I guess…”

“Then what you were insinuating before is invalid. My hands were warm and not cold, therefore I am very much alive. How did you even find out about all that at the hospital?”

“I just asked Saeko-san…” _Saeko-san. Kuroo-san._ “She said that someone called Sugawara passed away. That’s you, right?”

Suga’s face grew somber, and for a brief moment, he let his hand rest over his eyes. Finally pulling his hand away, he looked at her with a weary expression. “You heard right, Tanaka Saeko didn’t lie to you. But she wasn’t talking about me.”

“Then…who?” Daichi realised he was prying, and was about to apologise and wave the question away, but Suga spoke first.

“Sugawara Yua. Sugawara Yuuto. My… mother and father.”

For a moment, Daichi was quiet, unsure of what to say, feeling a burning heat rising to his face in humiliation, and a painful knot forming in the pit of his stomach. “Suga-san, I’m so sorry,” he whispered, as the pieces finally clicked into place. It wasn’t this Sugawara that passed away, of course not. It was two Sugawaras; his parents.

Staring steadfastly at their hands, Suga sat leaning forward. “Yeah, it’s…alright,” he chose the word carefully, it seemed. “Bad things happen to everyone I suppose. I’m not the only one. There’s Kuroo-san’s family, and Tanaka-san in our class, too. I’m not special.” He paused, and looked up at Daichi. “So have I convinced you that I’m not dead yet?” He looked slightly amused, despite the fact that he had to admit to him that his parents had died not too long ago.

“Can I just ask something?” Daichi asked.

Suga nodded, a friendly smile on his face. "Better to ask and be a fool once, then never ask and be a fool forever." 

“Sugawara Koushi – you exist.”

“If we’re talking on the level of whether I am real or not, then absolutely, I exist. The only time I’m ‘not there’ is when I’m in Class 3-4,” he took a sip of his tea, prompting Daichi to do the same. “Though, I must say, Daichi-kun, you were meant to be on their side. But that didn’t work, and now you’ll end up like me.”

“What does that mean?”

Sugawara ignored the question, and carried on. “When the new semester started, we thought this year would be an off year. But then we found out it probably wasn’t, so discussions were held in April. In truth, it should have been explained to you before you came to our school. Now they’re paying for it.” With a small sigh, he refilled his teacup. “You should have acted like everyone else and treated me like I’m not there. It doesn’t work, otherwise.”

“It’s not just bullying, is it?”

“I don’t think anyone is thinking of it like that. Even the teachers must spread the word through different channels from the students. Not taking class attendance by roll call. I bet you barely noticed we didn’t have that. They do that so they don’t have to say my name or acknowledge me. Our class takes gym class and volleyball practice alone.”

Finally, he’d found out what was going on. But… “Why?” Daichi demanded. “Why make everyone treat someone like they’re not there? How is that related to the rest of it? Why would they do it? Suga. Tell me! No matter how awful, I want the truth!" 

“The strange thing that happened in Class 3-4 twenty-two years ago,” Suga said in way of explanation. “Once it starts, it doesn’t stop. At least two people die each month in Class 4 that year. An extra person is added in the class. Nobody notices when they get added. And there’s no way to tell who the extra person is.”

Daichi listened in dumbfounded silence.

“What happened twenty-three years ago was the trigger. They decided that their classmate wasn’t dead, and kept pretending for a whole year. When they took the photo on graduation, there was the dead person. Meaning that the casualty had been called back to them. That was the trigger, and that’s why Class 3-4 at Miyagi is a site, like a vessel that draws the casualty in. And that’s why it’s much closer to death.”

“That’s why someone died every month? That doesn’t make sense!”

“It happened twenty-two years ago. They set up all the desks, but then the new semester started, and they realised they were one desk short. At first, they just thought somebody had screwed up. But then, six students and ten family members… a total of sixteen people died in 1994.” Daichi let that sink in, still unbelieving. “It didn’t happen every year after that, but the same paranormal phenomenon kept recurring. Naturally, people tried to come up with a way to counteract it.”

“An exorcism?”

“They could have tried that,” Suga shrugged. “They changed classrooms, for example. But it didn’t work. Even after they finished the new building and moved the third-years to building C-”

“So you’re saying it wasn’t the classroom, or the building, but the class itself that was the problem?”

“Yes,” Suga nodded. “Then, ten years ago, they found a strategy that’s effective against these events. To stand in for the extra person, we treat someone as if they are not there. That way, you bring the class back to the number of people it’s supposed to have. You balance the books. In that way, you prevent **calamity** for that year. It’s a talisman.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it has been a bit long, I have been busy recently! I thought I would throw Ushiwaka and Semi in there as cops since I realised there was no Shiratorizawa characters in there! Unfortunately, they'll only appear a couple of times :(
> 
> I selected the name for Suga's parents carefully, based on the character of Suga himself. His mother's name, Yua, 結愛, uses 'yu' meaning 'to bind' and 'a' meaning 'affection', which I think is what Suga does for Karasuno's team. His father's name, Yuuto, 優翔, is more about Suga himself, as it uses 'yuu' meaning 'gentleness' and 'to' meaning 'to soar/fly'.


	12. June ; commemoration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The class holds a sports festival to remember Kuroo by, but it seems that soon they'll have more to remember.

The sports festival was soon underway the following day, with almost everyone in attendance, even Tanaka and Nishinoya, both who hadn’t so much said a word all day. It left a bad taste in Daichi’s mouth, the wrongness of the situation; Nishinoya and Tanaka would usually be revelling in this. A day of no classes, a day of just volleyball – their cheers of delight should be filling up the room, but instead, they’d lapsed into a silence. At the very least, they were here. Maybe it could lift their spirits, even if just a little.

To his immense surprise and joy, Suga had bothered to show up, too, but it was clear that he wouldn’t be invited to participate. Instead, he hovered out of range of everybody, but watched the games still.

Since he hadn’t been given the go-ahead to go all-out in sports, once more, Daichi found himself in the sidelines, once more seated next to Yamaguchi, who was watching the games with interest, especially ones Tsukishima was in. Every so often, he’d look out for Yachi, too, and point her out with renewed vigour every time to Daichi. “She and Kiyoko-san are the best managers!” he’d say, time and time again, and as always, Daichi would agree. He hadn’t much chance to talk to Shimizu yet, but he hoped to change that in the coming months. Despite it all, he did want to be friends with his fellow classmates. Sure, they’d gotten off on the wrong footing, but it was nothing that couldn’t be mended, right?

“I hope I get to play today,” Yamaguchi said idly, when the matches were called off for a brief fifteen-minute break for players to rest and discuss tactics. “When Kuroo-san was captain, he’d make sure everybody played at least once, so we’d all benefit.”

“It was a shame I never got to play alongside him,” Daichi confessed.

“You would have made a great team!” Yamaguchi insisted, nodding his head. “I’m sure Kuroo-san knew that too.”

“Thank you, Yamaguchi-san,” Daichi said quietly. When Yamaguchi looked at him, he seemed surprised, to say the least.

“No, it’s no problem,” he waved him down, and they fell into silence. Yamaguchi had twisted his face into an awkward expression, clearly thinking he’d said something wrong. His knees had become the most interesting thing for him, and Daichi almost wanted to pat him on the back. Still, it was clear that nobody particularly wanted to mention Kuroo or Tanaka Saeko’s deaths. Almost like the entire class believed that if they turned away… perhaps the death would cease to exist. Perhaps this was all a hoax, and Kuroo-san would appear after a couple of weeks’ vacation, and announce: “Man, I can’t believe you guys fell for that!”

If only it were true. No matter how hard he wished that were the case, deep down, Daichi knew. Nothing would change if he looked the other way. Like it or not, he had to look at what was before him, or he wouldn’t be able to move forward.

Once the games restarted, any need for conversation became null again. “Hey, Yacchan’s cheering us all on!” Yamaguchi finally pointed again to the blonde haired manager, who was leaping about and yelling enthusiastically, a stark contrast to the beautiful girl next to her. Shimizu simply watched her, a smile on her face, almost like a proud parent.

“Which side is she cheering for, exactly?”

“All of them!” Yamaguchi replied with a laugh, and continued to watch Yachi in amazed silence. Daichi shook his head, and decided to watch the unfolding games to size up the strengths of his classmates.

Oikawa had one hell of a serve on him, he noted, thinking of how he’d hate to be on the receiving end of that (it seemed like the current receiving team was having a bad time, too), and Kageyama and Hinata making one hell of a duo, but he felt like they worked well only as a pair; clearly, they needed to train harder to better themselves without the other, so he made a mental note. Lev and Tsukishima, who were both tall, made excellent middle blockers, so that was another way to strengthen the teams defence. Nishinoya made the best libero, moving with a speed Daichi had only seen in practice a few times. And as for who the ace was… well, it was between Iwaizumi and Asahi, if he was being honest – both were powerful and strong, with amazingly executed spikes. Half the time, he could barely keep up with the pair of them.

What was Kuroo like, as a player?

As part of the sports festival activities, instead of having to line up for bread or bring in box lunches, a barbecue was being held – one of Kuroo’s favourites, Yamaguchi hurriedly explained. Sure, there was nothing better than meat prepared outdoors on a nice day like this, Daichi commented idly. It gave the event a holiday-like feel. Maybe people could then get excited about the upcoming vacation. Once the barbeque was prepared and the meat sizzling (making every mouth water and every stomach grumble), Daichi decided to wait behind whilst the others fought and cajoled each other in hopes to get a grilled burger first. Besides, he liked his meat well-done, and Takeda-sensei would doubtless make more if needed.

Whilst he sat alone, watching the students shout at each other, half in anger, half in jest, as they pushed and shoved to reach the food, Sugawara sidled up behind him so silently that for a while, Daichi didn’t even notice he was there. When he did, he started, jolting from his seat on the bench. “S-Suga!”

“Yes?”

“You scared me!”

“Did I?”

“Yes!”

“Oh, well, then, sorry, sorry, Daichi-kun,” Suga laughed, but then stopped, peering down at Daichi curiously. “Hey, aren’t you hungry, Daichi-kun?”

“A little bit, but I can’t afford to get into any fights,” he patted the side of his chest, and Suga nodded in agreement. “What about you? Aren’t you hungry?”

“Yes,” Suga sighed. “But getting food from the barbeque might be problematic for me. After all, Takeda-sensei and Ukai-sensei aren’t meant to accept that I exist. So they couldn’t possibly give me anything.”

“Then I’d get you something,” Daichi offered.

“You needn’t do that-”

“I don’t mind. It’s nothing major.”

“Oh, well… thank you, Daichi-kun,” Suga looked away, and then sat next to Daichi on the bench.

“What do you think of all this? The sports festival, I mean?” Daichi waved his hand, gesturing towards the makeshift courts set up in the yard, and the gaggle of school students surrounding the grill.

“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t fun, Daichi-kun!” Suga beamed at him, reminding him a little bit of the sun that shone in the sky above. _Even when you don’t get to participate? It’s still fun?_ Daichi wanted to say, but didn’t. In that moment, he admired Suga, and his selflessness; placing the happiness of his fellow classmates, even ones that treated him like dirt, before himself. Just for a second, he wanted to throw his arms around Suga. “But…” he hadn’t finished speaking, apparently, “it seems to me that everyone is hiding their pain and sadness behind smiles and laughter.”

“Yeah. I noticed that too.”

“You’re very perceptive, Daichi-kun.”

“That’s kind of you to say, but it doesn’t take a genius to see that.”

“So what you’re saying is that Oikawa Tooru is not a genius?”

“I’m sure he can see it too!”

“ _Really_?” Suga had quirked an eyebrow at Daichi. “I’m not so sure, myself. I think that he wants to pretend things are normal too.”

“Isn’t a head of countermeasures meant to have a more hands-on role?”

“Well, in theory, yes,” Suga shrugged. “I don’t know too much about it, but I generally have lots of time to just watch people. So I can tell that right now, Oikawa-san is putting on a brave face for the rest of the class’s sake. Could I ask you not to get angry at him?”

“Y-Yeah, sure,” Daichi nodded. He felt like Suga was leading somewhere with all of this hinting, but as to what, he was failing to grasp.

“Hey, looks like we can actually get to the barbecue now,” Suga pointed out. Most of the crowd had petered out to sit down in groups to chomp down on food. Likelihood was that Daichi was intending to sit with Asahi and his normal group, where even Tanaka and Nishinoya seemed more animated and comfortable. That’s what you needed when times were rough; friends. Perhaps he should go and join them, and comfort Tanaka and Nishinoya, but then, he’d been forced to leave Suga on his own. Being Suga’s only friend, it seemed unfair to just leave him, but it was equally unfair to not spare Tanaka and Nishinoya some of his time and condolences. “It’s alright, you can go to them,” Suga’s voice broke through his thoughts. “They need you more than I do.” He gave Daichi’s shoulder a light push with a bright smile plastered on his face. “Now come on, let’s go get some food, okay?!”

 _Oikawa-san isn’t the only one putting on a brave face,_ Daichi wanted to say, but once more, left it go unsaid, as he and Suga made their way to the barbecue. On their approach, Takeda-sensei looked up and grinned, his lopsided and ill-fitting chef’s hat nearly sliding off. Thankfully, Coach Ukai corrected it with a grin. “Hopefully you’ll be able to play a little bit in the afternoon, Daichi-san!” Takeda-sensei said, giving him a burger.

“If you wouldn’t mind, sensei, I’d like another. I won’t tell anybody, though,” he winked. For a brief moment, Takeda-sensei’s eyes lit up in recognition and flicked ever so briefly to Suga, and nodded.

“Of course. Consider it compensation for not being able to play,” Takeda-sensei slyly slid the burger onto another plate, and handed it to Daichi. “There you go. Two meals for one.”

“Thank you, sensei.”

“No problem, Sawamura-kun!”

Quickly, Daichi handed the plate to Suga, who tucked into his meal almost gratefully. Had Daichi not been there, he probably would have gone hungry. The thought made him want to hit something, but he refrained. “Thank you, Takeda-sensei,” Suga muttered, almost to himself. Those few brief moments of recognition had given Suga some glimmer of hope, it seemed.

That precious moment of serenity was broken by Kindaichi sidling up, probably hoping for seconds. “Kindaichi-san, hello,” Daichi greeted him politely as he approached the pair of them.

“Oh, uh, Sawamura-san,” he replied awkwardly. “Yo. Uh, you haven’t seen Kageyama, have you?” Kageyama? Daichi couldn’t have ever guessed that Kindaichi hung around with him, especially since he was mostly seen hanging around with that Kyotani guy.

“I haven’t, but we’d be okay to help you look for him.”

“Oh, right. He’s just not around, so I figured I may as well come here and get more food while I wait for him to show up.”

“That’s… a good idea?” Daichi raised an eyebrow. “Why not just wait in one place until he shows up? You could have missed him.”

“Huh, guess it’d be his fault for doing a disappearing act. He knows I get impatient,” Kindaichi huffed, adamantly refusing to be wrong. From behind them, Takeda-sensei and Ukai gave an exclamation of surprise, and Daichi barely turned around when he saw a spark flashing in the barbecue. Time seemed to slow down, as if he was watching the scene in slow-motion. Kindaichi stood transfixed on the spot, staring in horror at  the barbecue, and Sugawara had additionally froze up in fear. Without thinking so much as twice, as he’d done with Yachi, he jumped at Sugawara and Kindaichi, pushing them to the floor, out of the danger zone. In surprise, the plates they were eating from dropped to the floor. Above them, there was a wave of heat from the exploding barbecue that sizzled off the top of Kindaichi’s stupid haircut.

As he came to his senses, Daichi realised that his breathing had increased in speed, and he was near hyperventilating. All students were turned to face them, slack-jawed and wide-eyed, none sure of what to do. Thankfully, Coach Ukai had already dashed inside the building and was using the fire extinguisher to engulf the smouldering remains of the barbecue. “I don’t suppose anyone wants that last burger?” He called out with a belly laugh, as if trying to brush off the situation.

Kindaichi was muttering incoherently to himself, clutching at his chest in fear. “Jesus Christ!” he cried out. “We almost died! I don’t want to, it’s not fair! Why does the stupid curse have to be real?!”

“Kindaichi!” Oikawa’s voice snapped; looking up, Daichi saw him approach the trio. He sounded afraid of whatever it was Kindaichi was about to say next, glancing at Daichi and Suga in an almost reflex.

“No way!” Kindaichi retorted, standing unsteadily to his feet, anger keeping him from collapsing to his knees. “I don’t care what you have to say about it, Mr. Head-of-Countermeasures! You’re doing an awful job of all, and thanks to you, we’re all going to die. And you two!” He jabbed a thumb at Suga and Daichi, and Oikawa’s eyes widened. _He acknowledged Sugawara. Isn’t that a no-no?_ “Both of you are bad fucking luck! Stay away from me!” He ran away from them on trembling legs, where it was evident he was going to the bathroom to be very sick. _You two. Both of you. Suga exists. They know he does._

Silence descended on Daichi, Suga and Oikawa, the rest of the class sitting frozen in time, as if on edge. Oikawa glared down at both of them, as if reading for any threats they could pose. It was Daichi who broke the silence. “I know about the curse, Oikawa-san.”

In reply, Oikawa sighed. “I figured. You’re smart; you were bound to figure it out eventually.”

Standing up, Daichi stood to face him. On the floor next to him, Suga just sat, cross-legged, as if making himself as small as he could. “I wouldn’t have had to figure it out if you had just told me in the first place. Why didn’t you?” Finally, they were being honest with each other. No false smiles, no fake friendly tones.

He was silent for so long that he thought he wouldn’t answer. However, he finally did. “There was a circumstantial change. I wasn’t sure if telling you right away was a good idea, so I tried to wait for a convenient time to say something. Except that the convenient time never came, and the more I put it off, the harder it got for me to say anything,” he ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “We may have to change tactics soon, but I’m trying to hold off on it as long as I can. I’m sure that your friends agree with me.”

 _“Oh, so you’re not one of them?_ ” Daichi spat back. At that provocation, Oikawa grabbed the front of Daichi’s collar and pulled it up, and prepared himself to punch him the face, and only stopped when a hand touched his shoulder.

“Hey, come on now,” Nishinoya piped up before Daichi could even bother to reply. Behind the pair stood Nishinoya, Tanaka and Asahi. “You don’t mean that, Oikawa-san, do you?” His voice was almost scary, his pupils dilated, arms folded across his chest. “I mean; wouldn’t it work out nicely for you if something did happen?”

“What are you saying, Nishinoya?” Oikawa’s voice was cold. _Where’s Iwaizumi? He would have stopped this by now!_ Daichi thought to himself looking around. Maybe he’d gone inside to check on Kindaichi; that was something he’d done. For now, they’d have to resolve this tense situation themselves. “Are you saying I would take things that far? Are you saying I’m responsible for this? Are you saying I killed Kuroo, and I killed Tanaka-san’s sister?”

“C’mon, don’t fight,” Asahi was pleading, looking somewhat worried. But something in his face told Daichi that if push came to shove, he’d join in too.

“Her name was Saeko, bastard!” Tanaka yelled, brandishing his fist. “And if you were, I’ll pummel you!”

“I wasn’t, Tanaka-san,” Oikawa rolled his eyes.

“Well, whatever,” Tanaka dismissed him. “I don’t care if you were responsible or not!” Tears were in his eyes. “My big sister is gone! And okay, you know what, it hurts like a _bitch_ , man. But I knew for a damn fact that Saeko didn’t want anything bad to happen to Daichi. What good would that do? So if you wanna hit my friends, go ahead, dumbass! But you damn well believe that you’d get one hell of beating in return!”

Oikawa looked, quite frankly, offended. Daichi didn’t know what to say. _Why weren’t they all blaming him already?_

Nishinoya nodded. “Yeah, you bet. The same goes for the other one, too.”

 _The other one. Suga. Wasn’t this dangerous for the class? No. Not yet. None of them had said his name. They could be talking about anyone_. Even so, it warmed Daichi’s heart to see them like this; beside him, Suga had dropped his jaw in surprise.

“Oikawa-san,” Asahi spoke up. “I know you are upset. I’m upset too. But lashing out in anger won’t help. You have to calm down and think about this clearly. Otherwise, there’s no getting past this.”

At Asahi’s words, Oikawa loosened his grip on Daichi’s shirt, and turned away, half in fury, half in shame. “I’m trying my hardest, you know!” he snapped back, refusing to look at any of them. “I won’t pass the blame; it’s all my fault. I’m failing the class, just like Kindaichi said! I know, already!”

“We’re all a little to blame,” Nishinoya said, patting Oikawa on the back. “Don’t beat yourself up so much. Now, say sorry to Daichi-san.”

“But I-”

“ **Now**.” Asahi’s voice was even more commanding than Nishinoya’s, and made even Daichi shudder.

“I’m sorry, Daichi-san,” Oikawa mumbled under his breath. “I just-”

“You don’t need to say anything. I understand.”

Oikawa spun around, and stuck his tongue childishly at the other. “Whatever! This hasn’t disrupted anything!” he turned to face the class. “Let’s carry on with the sports festival. Kuroo wouldn’t let something like this stop him from playing volleyball.” With that, he flounced away. On the periphery of the scene, Iwaizumi was watching with a cool, observing eye, and curtly nodded to Nishinoya, before moving away.

In the afternoon, Suga had drifted off, apparently frightened by the close shave during lunch time, and once more, Daichi was seated next to Yamaguchi, who seemed to have grown even more excited by the events during lunch, and was chattering at twice his normal speed. “They said they’d want me as a pinch server now that Turnip Head’s gone home!” he grinned up. “And I’d be on the same team as Tsukki!”

“That’s great news,” Daichi nodded encouragingly. “Don’t push yourself too hard. Think of your heart.”

“Okay, I promise to be careful!” Yamaguchi agreed, but his actions seemed to dull slightly. “I know it’s only brief, but at least I get to play.”

“Don’t sound so down,” Daichi tried to lift his mood again. “Someday, you’ll definitely be able to play as well as Asahi and Iwaizumi-san!”

“Huh?! Y-You, uh, you, uh, you think so?!”

“I _know_ so,” Daichi admitted. He knew that if Yamaguchi got better and could train as well as the others, he’d be an excellent and key asset, so any team would be incredibly lucky to have him. “Like I said, don’t be so rough on yourself. You can do it, Yamaguchi. I believe in you, and so does everyone else. Especially Yachi-san and Tsukishima-san.” At that, Yamaguchi blushed in embarrassment.

“Do you think… do you think Yacchan would watch me?”

“Of course she would.” Daichi smiled. “Hey, if you’re feeling so nervous, why don’t you ask if you can hold her hand before your match?”

“What? W-W-Why?”

“They say girls are magical. I’m inclined to believe them.”

“R-Really? Oh, then, okay. I’ll, uh… go ask her now!” He stood up, and then froze, before sinking on to his seat again. “I can’t do this.”

“What if I came with you?”

“Okay,” Yamaguchi stood up again, Daichi imitating him. Making sure they kept out of the way of the ongoing games, they walked over to the managers. At their arrival, both looked up, but only Yachi leapt to her feet, her face going red. Yamaguchi bowed quickly in greeting.

“Oh, Yamaguchi-san! Sawamura-san! What’s up?”

“Can I…” Daichi nodded at Yamaguchi to urge him on. “Can I hold your hand?!”

“Huh?!” She blushed even harder, and then smiled sweetly, in a way that could probably make flowers grow, the red changing to a pink. “Okay. Here.” She held out her hand, clearly unsure of what to do. It didn’t seem that Yamaguchi knew what he was particularly doing, and he just clasped the offered hand into both of his, eyes closed as in prayer.

Only when Lev called him to tell him he was swapping out with Ennoshita did he drop it. “Thank you, Yachi-san!”

“Yeah!” Yachi cheered for him. “Okay, Yamaguchi! You can do it!”

 _What a kind girl Yachi was_ , Daichi thought to himself.

Yamaguchi nodded as he prepared to serve, before focusing on the game in front of him. Despite the good luck charm, his hands still shook slightly, and he had to breathe out to calm his nerves. Looking up, he threw the ball up in the air. Straight away, Daichi recognized the technique. A jump float serve, eh? They were hard to pull off, that much he knew. He himself hadn’t ever performed any exceptional ones, just some that made it over the net.

The one Yamaguchi pulled off, however, was slightly weak, probably due to the fact he hadn’t played for a while. The ball contacted the net and hit the floor, and even from here, Daichi could tell his confidence had been severely knocked. “Don’t mind, Yamaguchi!” he roared from the sidelines.

“Yeah!” Yachi agreed. “It’s okay, Yamaguchi-san! Just try again!”

Looking at the pair of them, amidst yells of “Don’t mind!” he nodded, and met the court with renewed strength as a fresh ball was passed into his hands. Even so his hands were shaking harder than before, and he had gulped. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and he looked very unsure. Still, he tossed the ball in the air, about to serve-

But didn’t.

The ball and Yamaguchi hit the ground at roughly the same time, though it was hard to tell. Yamaguchi was face down, and already, voices were laughing and joking. “Man, Yamaguchi, did you get so nervous you fainted?” “There are girls watching, you know!” “There’s no need to get so worried, dude!”

Behind Daichi and Yachi, Kiyoko had stood up; when Daichi turned to look, he knew from her face she felt that something was wrong. “Sawamura-san. Please alert Takeda-sensei that Yamaguchi is unwell. Ask him to call for help, please.” She then turned to Yachi. “Hitoka-san. Go to Yamaguchi’s side. Make sure he’s comfortable, alright?” Yachi and Daichi nodded, and sped off to do as ordered. Kiyoko herself walked briskly to where Oikawa and Iwaizumi were, leading them to Yamaguchi; they arrived at the same time as Daichi and Coach Ukai.

“Yamaguchi-san!” Yachi was calling. “Are you alright?! Would you like some water?” She’d pulled his head onto his lap, using her legs as a cushion for his head. Yamaguchi’s face had gone grey, and a hand was clutching his chest, his face contorted in pain, but he was shaking his head, _no, no_.

“You’re…” he managed, before coughing, and wheezing. “You’re cute, Yacchan. Yeah.”

With that, he closed his eyes, as if in a deep sleep, but Daichi wasn’t an idiot. That wasn’t slumber passing over the boys features.

That was death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this wasn't too rushed, I feel like much happened in this chapter and I am moving too fast! As always, please comment, criticism welcome! I thought I would imply a bit of Tsukkiyama/Yamayachi in this chapter. I was also worried as whether or not I got Oikawa's character right in this chapter - I thought that he'd be the type to lash out when angry or upset!


	13. June; fading

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The tactics change.

_“They said it was a heart attack. It was to be expected, I guess, with his health the way it was.”_

_“At the very least, it was over quickly. Maybe he didn’t suffer but… he’s gone. It happened so fast.”_

_“It was the curse, wasn’t it? Oh, goddammit!”_

_“Calm down. But, you’re right. We were all hoping that it wasn’t true, that we were still part of an off year, but… Kuroo died at the end of May. Tanaka Saeko died earlier this month, and now Yamaguchi too.”_

_“We have to change tactics.”_

_“It’s cruel. We can’t.”_

_“It’s not negotiable.”_

+++

Since Yamaguchi’s death, the class seemed even more on edge, even more than they had been at Daichi’s arrival, even more than they had been upon Kuroo’s death, even more than they had been when they heard about Saeko. Sometimes, at school or at home, Asahi would start to bawl like an overgrown baby, but snap out of it shortly afterwards. Had their friendship group as a whole not pulled together to keep spirits as high as they could, Daichi reckoned that they’d all sink into some form of grievous depression. To make matters worse, it seemed Oikawa and company were riling up Asahi about something or the other, but all he told Daichi was that the countermeasures team was attempting to pass a motion that he promised he would fight to the death if he had to. To this, Nishinoya and Tanaka agreed, as did Kageyama and Hinata.

“The only problem is that now even Iwaizumi-san is starting to agree with the others...” Asahi would mumble, but refused to elaborate further.

Yamaguchi’s death shook Class 3-4 worse than Kuroo’s had, probably since all were there to witness it. Now there was no denying the suspicious and somewhat cold looks he was getting from people out of his little group, especially Tsukishima. Yamaguchi was his best friend. Small wonder he blamed Daichi. Out of everyone, only his group was willing to talk to him. Constantly, Tanaka warned Daichi that if the class was forced to pursue what he kept calling _a fallout tactic_ , that he wouldn’t be able to fight against it. “But that sure as hell won’t stop me from trying!” Tanaka announced grandly. “My big sis wouldn’t want that to happen, ever. She was meant to look after you, yeah? So that means I have to look after you now!”

 _God have mercy on my soul,_ Daichi thought before he could stop it.

In order to make his friends feel a little better, Daichi insisted that he would understand, though deep down inside, the sound of it made him feel afraid, and he wasn’t looking forward to this switch in tactic. The first class tactic – _to pretend that someone didn’t even exist_ \- was horrible enough. Now there would be yet another to get used to, and most likely directed at him, if the fight he’d had with Oikawa was anything to go by.

One day, after some time had passed since the third incident, Daichi had once more headed to the sanctuary of the library with Kenma, who as usual had his head in a game. Alongside him was Nishinoya, who was desperately trying to finish some math homework before the next period started, helped only by Daichi’s occasional hints and advice. In the meantime, Daichi was reading a book Suga had left on his seat one day ( _I think you’d enjoy this, Daichi-kun_ , the message inscribed in pencil on the first page said), a silly story about an old man running away from an old folk’s home on his hundredth birthday.

In the background, the door of the library opened and shut, and someone began to talk to Kenma in a hushed voice, and Daichi didn’t bother turning around. It didn’t concern him, either way. Both Daichi and Noya were so engrossed in their work and book that they didn’t bother looking up, until Kenma tapped Nishinoya on the shoulder. “They need you in the classroom.”

His face, as usual, was forced into a stoic expression. Though Daichi didn’t know why, Nishinoya’s shoulders stiffened, as if scared of something. “During lunchtime?”

“Yeah.”

“Want me to come with you?” Daichi asked, hoping to be of some help to his friend; he may have lost a family member, and he knew it’s what he was thinking too.

“No, I- I’m fine. I’ll be back in a bit,” he lied, though he could see through him easily. He was afraid of what he would find out, but still, he was strong enough to go alone. Daichi nodded, and watched as his friend exited the library on shaky legs.

Only once he’d gone did Kenma look at Daichi with an expression of … sympathy? “The library’s a safe place,” he repeated. “You can always come here.” Daichi nodded, confused. Why was he saying that still?

Before he could ask, though, Kenma had resumed his don’t talk to me position on the chair, so he decided not to bother him too much. For five, ten minutes, Daichi waited, but Noya didn’t return. Now, he was beginning to worry, as cold sweat broke out on the back of his neck as an icy chill ran down his spine. What if something had happened to Nishinoya?

Hastily, he began to pack his own bag as well as Nishinoya’s, rushing out of the library as sweat broke out on his palms. _Class should be starting soon anyway, right?_ He tried reasoning to calm the panic that was building away. When he neared the classroom, he noted with a new wave of fear that the inside of it was deathly silent. No usual chatter of the classmates, no quiet murmurs, nobody hanging out in the doorway. He practically bolted into the room.

Looking around, his heart started to beat painfully in his chest. Once again, the classroom was deserted. But not only was it devoid of people, there wasn’t even any evidence of a person in the classroom. All of the purses and bags were gone. Daichi felt her stomach drop; had they all left for some emergency? But Asahi or Tanaka or Nishinoya would have told him…

Nevertheless, he set Noya’s things on his usual seat and sat down at his own desk, bringing out the book, which did cheer him up. Once more he decided to wait in case anybody showed up, and if not, he’d then leave to go and look for them. As he sat, someone eventually did show up after nearly five minutes was up. It was only the sound of footfalls entering the classroom that alerted him away from the page in front of him; in walked Oikawa, looking as if was expecting to find Daichi here. _Mr. Head-of-Countermeasures._

“Daichi-san. I have to talk to you about something.” His tone wasn’t playful, nor was it angry. It was devoid of any emotion at all.

“Alright.” His brief answer made sure he could control his voice, and hide the nervousness bubbling through him from Oikawa. His mind casted back to Nishinoya. “Did something happen?”

Oikawa sat down with a sigh in Kuroo’s old seat, turning to face the transfer student. “I know that you already know about the curse, and what it means for us. You know that Kuroo-san and his mother, Tanaka-san’s sister and Yamguchi san were both victims, and there will likely be more if we don’t step up and do something about it.

“Yeah, but I don’t understand where you’re going with all of this.” _Get to the point already!_ His mind raged, but he kept silent.

“Do you know what the role of the countermeasures team plays in our class? Do you know what my job is in relation to the curse?”

“You guys are trying to find a way to stop it?”

“Yes,” Oikawa drew a tick in the air with his finger. “We find ways to protect the student body for as long as we can. We made it through one month without any deaths, but then they started up. We don’t know why, but there are theories. So you understand that there’s no denying that our beginning class tactic has failed, and we have to switch over to another measure. But.” He held his finger aloft, staring into Daichi’s eyes, as if trying to see his soul. “Our new tactic revolves around you, Daichi-kun. Your friends are going to go along with it. They have no other choice. If it’s a comfort, they aren’t happy about it. They’re less than happy.”

A mental image of Nishinoya or Tanaka punching Oikawa flashed through his mind.

“At the beginning of the semester, we heard of a theory passed down by tactics teams of the past. The theory is that the reason that the deaths occur because of the extra student that resides in the class each year. We still haven’t come up with a good reason why this phenomenon occurs, we only know that it is so. No one ever knows who the dead student because everyone’s memories, along with school records, are mysteriously altered, so it’s impossible to tell-”

“I know all of this. _Someone_ filled me in a while ago.” There he was, using Ennoshita’s buzzword. “What does this have to do with me? Where is everybody?”

“The countermeasures team discussed this new change with the rest of the class, and everyone was dismissed. Class cancelled. So after this, go home. Talk to Azumane-san.” Not once did he ever break his gaze.

“Anyway, we figured that the deaths are happening because of the extra student, we thought, _what would happen if we acted as if there was no extra student? Instead of twenty-five classmates, what if we pretended that there were only twenty-four?_ And our class tactic became clear from that moment.”

 

“But now you’re changing tactics. How, what are you going to do?”

To Daichi, it seemed that Oikawa couldn’t bring himself to answer him directly, and looked at him with actual feeling. On his face was a mix of genuine regret. “I’m sorry that it had to come to this, but we can’t come up with anything else. And this tactic has worked before, according to past leaders. If anything, this might buy us some more time, but…” he trailed off, letting his words hang in the air.

“You mean, me. I’m the one that you’re going to pretend doesn’t exist.” Surprisingly, the fear had melted away, leaving only an impassive calmness. This would be his reality from now on. He could accept it the easy way, or the hard way, and he’d had enough of feeling sad.

“I wish there was some other way. Right now, there just isn’t.” And when he said that, he believed him, because he looked truly apologetic. He reached out as if he was going to touch his arm. But at the last second, he withdrew, and leaned away from him again. “It’s not something that I wanted to happen, if I’m being honest. This is a last resort.” he admitted, with more feeling than he expected.

“What about at home? Asahi and I live together, even there, will I not be acknowledged?”

“There are some tricky details to be worked out, like that one. I’m leaving it to Azumane’s discretion.”

As he was explaining, Nishinoya wandered into the classroom, narrowing his eyes when he saw Oikawa. Daichi nearly grinned at how happy he felt at seeing Nishinoya after how worried he’d been, but he didn’t. Instead of looking at Daichi, Nishinoya simply walked over to his belongings piled on top of his desk. “Hey, hey, Oikawa-san, why the hell are you just sitting in an empty classroom like this? Little weird, don’t you think?” He was more than pissed, as each word he spoke was laced with venom. “Oh look, my things have transported from the library to my desk. I would love to thank the mysterious entity that did so, because it was so thoughtful.” Nishinoya continued, sarcasm laid on thick.

“Nishinoya-san.” Annoyance creeping into Oikawa’s voice, he warned the other boy.

“What is it, _oh fearless leader_? I’m just talking to myself out loud, like you were doing a minute ago, right?” he challenged, and when Oikawa didn’t respond, just shot a displeased look at him, he chuckled mirthlessly. “That’s what I thought. I’ll see you later.” And with that, he left the room in a brisk walk.

“I’ll have Iwa-chan speak to him,” Oikawa narrowed his eyes. “Azumane-san’s waiting for you outside, I’ll bet. I trust you guys will be able to come to an agreement.” With that he stood to leave the room, leaving Daichi alone to his newfound invisibility.

“Uh, hey, Oikawa-san,” Daichi called out before he left the room. The head of countermeasures froze, looking at him expectantly. “I know you’re doing this for the class benefit. I’m not angry, nor do I blame you. So if things go wrong, or you get upset again, don’t lash out.”

For the first time ever, Oikawa gave Daichi a real smile. A small and disbelieving smile. A haunting smile. “Thank you, Daichi.”

After a while, he left the classroom, feeling sort of… vacant. That was probably why he jumped in shock upon seeing Nishinoya standing in the hallway, staring levelly at the classroom door. Internally, he was conflicted; should he really let Nishinoya go against what the class had decided? Well, Noya hadn’t said a word to him, nor was he really looking at Daichi. Feeling somewhat dejected, he began to make his way down the hallway to the entrance, where he hoped to find Asahi. Wordlessly, Nishinoya began to move and walked alongside him.

When they’d reached the stairwell – the same one Kuroo had fallen on – he found strength to talk. “Don’t mind, Noya. It’s okay.”

At that, Nishinoya exploded with a fury he hadn’t thought the small boy capable of. “No it isn’t! They already tried this stupid bullshit once, and it didn’t even work! Because of them I’ve lost four of my goddamn friends!” _Yamaguchi. Saeko. Kuroo. And Suga…_ “There’s no way in hell I’m going along with it again! And you better believe that Tanaka ain’t going along with too! Nobody goddamn wants to!” he growled out in a bitter voice

“The talisman didn’t work because of me. I was talking to the person who wasn’t there the entire time. So it’s my fault. This is only fair. Because of me, Kuroo-san, Saeko-san, Yamaguchi-san…”

“No! What the hell!” Noya yelled. “The way I see it, it ain’t your fault. Oikawa or Iwaizumi or someone like that should have told you the shit that you had to find out on your own. Asahi should have told you, rules be damned! The whole class failed, but it wasn’t you. You made a mistake. You can’t blame a guy who made a mistake, moron!”

 “Noya-san, please calm down,” Daichi pleaded, sounding a little like Asahi. “I have to stick to this, and I’m choosing to go along with it. So, trust me. If nobody else gets hurt, then I’ll be glad.”

Huffing indignantly, Noya didn’t so much as look or answer him.

“It’s okay. Don’t worry. We have to try.”

For the first time, it began to occur to him – it was possible for a person’s life to become just a long series of mistakes, and that at the end, whenever it happened, was just yet another mistake in a very long list of bad choices. The thing was, most of these mistakes were taken from other people. You took their bad ideas, and for whatever reason, made them your own.

It seemed as though Nishinoya wouldn’t answer, as he hung behind at the foot lockers, looking more than moody and upset. Suddenly, Daichi found himself in a very tight hug. “Fine then! Okay!” Nishinoya stood up straighter. “If you’re okay with it, I have to be too. Just say the word if you don’t want to anymore, got it? Then it stops! That goes for me and Tanaka too! And Hinata and Kageyama! We’re your friends, man, so trust us!”

“Well, starting tomorrow, we can’t talk anymore,” he finally said, alongside the realisation that Kenma had somehow known. Why did Kenma find things out before they’d even happened? “See you tomorrow, then, Noya. I mean. Yeah.” He laughed awkwardly at himself then, rubbing the back of his head.

“Not funny, man!” Noya poked him in the ribs, but grew serious. “Yeah. Bye, Daichi-san. We’re all here for us, though, if you need us.” After that, he walked away as Daichi made his way to the gate. Now comes the true trial. Asahi, his true friend.

True to form, Asahi was waiting patiently there, looking at the space above Daichi’s head. Unsure of whether it was okay to talk to his best friend and roommate, Daichi began to walk silently, Asahi falling comfortably into stride; not a single word was exchanged between the pair on that agonizingly long walk home. Until they were safely in the house did Daichi attempt it.

“I know what the class decided.” Asahi flinched, remaining silent, continuing to rummage through the refrigerator for food. “I understand you have to ignore me at school, but do you have to, even at home?”

On the counter, Asahi started stacking frozen dinners to choose from, still not daring to breathe a word, though Daichi thought he heard a quiet whimper from the tall boy. For the first time in forever, Sawamura Daichi felt small and helpless, and his voice reflected that. “…Asahi…?”

Unexpectedly, Asahi slammed one of the frozen boxes on the surface and burst into loud wails. Heavy sobs wracked his body as he fought for control, but this was in vain. Asahi had always been a crybaby, ever since they were kids. Just the sight made Daichi want to join in and cry too, regretting even opening his mouth. “It’s okay, we don’t have to talk,” he quickly amended, but it didn’t work.

Helplessly, he watched Asahi vacate their kitchen to sit down on the living room couch. “I tried!” he yelled, sounding so bitter and broken Daichi rushed forward to lend any kind of support he could. Turning away from Daichi, Asahi began to pummel a cushion, venting out his frustration the quickest way he knew. When Daichi came too close, he curled up into a fetal position, as if attempting to protect himself. _From who? From me?_

“I tried but they wouldn’t listen! Why would they make me do this! It’s not fair! It’s not!”

Both boys stayed like that for a long time, Daichi giving Asahi an awkward one armed hug, whilst Asahi bawled like the baby, echoing “I tried” and “not fair” until he finally silenced, voice gone. After that, he’d gone to his room and closed the door, presumably sleeping.

Feeling unwelcome and out of place in a house he’d once felt was a second home, Daichi felt the need to go and see Sugawara, and so he did. Changing out of his uniform and swapping it for a hoodie and jeans, he went to go to the bookstore. On the journey, his thoughts were autumn leaves dancing frantically in a gale; they were bees a jar, little buzzing things, going round and round and round.

Even though twilight was drawing in, the lights in the bookstore window remained brightly lit. It was certainly surprising to see Suga at the front of the shop, behind a counter, with a till and everything. “Welcome!” he greeted, with the polished smile of a TV presenter. “Oh, it’s you, Daichi-kun! Hello!”

“What are you doing?”

“Watching the store. It’s my job.”

“You work here?!”

“I have to make money somehow, Daichi-kun.”

“Didn’t you say you traded books?”

“Only for my special customer, Sawamura Daichi!”

“More like your only customer,” Daichi replied with a teasing voice.

“Ah, you got me,” Suga shrugged. “Nobody comes in here except you nowadays. Maybe I should advertise, or something. Maybe open a little stall on the local market. The possibilities are relatively finite.” He smiled at a private joke. “But anyways. You’re here to talk about something.”

“Now you’ve got me,” Daichi smiled. How strange it was, he reflected to himself, one minute, you were all alone with your thoughts, and the next, somebody came along who seemed to know the deepest part of you, who could read you like a book. Suddenly, and idea flashed through his mind. “Hey, Suga… do you live here?!”

“Nothing gets past you, does it, Sherlock?” Suga teased, but nodded nonetheless. “Yes. I live above the shop. Cheaper for me that way. Hmmm…” he paused for a moment. “Yeah, I’m definitely not getting any more customers today. May as well close up shop!”

“Oh, so I should leave?”

No! You can have something to drink at my place,” he pointed at the stairs leading upwards behind the counter. “Make yourself at home. I have water… maybe soda too. Possibly. I haven’t gone shopping this week yet.” With a sigh, Daichi followed Suga upstairs.

Daichi nodded, before saying: “You weren’t at school today, were you?”

“Nope! I decided to watch the store all day,” Suga responded cheerfully. The Suga at school and the Suga at home were very different people, Daichi thought. “It was a little boring.” Then, he smirked. “Did everyone miss me?” In reply, Daichi said nothing.

He seated Daichi in what appeared to be his bedroom, before bringing him a bottle of Ramune. “That’s my last bottle, you know, Daichi-kun…”

“You can have it if you want.”

“I’m teasing! You’re my guest, and you’ll get proper treatment.”

After a minute or so of quiet, Daichi broke it. “They have to ignore me now, too.”

The smile slid off of Suga’s face and was replaced with one of muted anger. “Damn,” was all he managed to say. Sitting next to Daichi on his bed, he took a long hard look at his face, peering very intently at him for any indication of a joke, even one in bad taste. Finally, he relaxed. “You’re not kidding. That’s very wrong of them. I thought that maybe they’d give up when they realised it wasn’t working with just me.”

“It’s because of me,” Daichi confessed. “I didn’t know I wasn’t meant to talk to you. I made a mistake, I didn’t know-”

“I’m sure nobody blames you, not really. They’re all looking for a scapegoat right now,” Suga began to rub his back. “Chances are they’re hoping that pretending that you don’t exist too will cancel out the back you were even acknowledging me. If Daichi Sawamura never existed, then Daichi Sawamura couldn’t have talked to Sugawara Koushi, who never existed in the first place. Does that make sense?”

“Yeah. So they’re tricking the system to stop the deaths.”

“Hopefully,” Suga didn’t sound very convinced. “It’s still wrong. It won’t work, it didn’t work, it never has. Just look at my parents,” he muttered to himself, lost in thought.

“Does anyone know that they were victims?” Daichi asked quietly. Suga leant his head on Daichi’s shoulder, and the silence between them stretched out.

“No.” Daichi looked down at Suga, who had closed his eyes. “Who could I tell? I wasn’t allowed to talk to anybody, and if I did, they wouldn’t listen. Besides, I didn’t want to believe it was the curse. Not right away. Nobody wants to think they’ve lost someone important to a thing like a curse. After all, curses are made up, fictional, and believing in them is stupid.”

“Sorry I brought it up, we don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

Nodding, Suga seemed relieved, sitting straight again. Daichi’s shoulder felt cold. “Thanks. I guess now that our class is ignoring us, then we don’t need to ignore each other anymore? So, nothing needs to change between us.”

“I’m glad, but it’ll be hard for Asahi. Noya too. They were upset about it and tried to fight it, but…” Daichi admitted, “It isn’t their fault. Oikawa is trying to protect the class.”

“They’re doing a fantastic job,” Suga’s tone implied anything but. “We’ve already lost six lives. Six deaths and what do they do? Ignore somebody else. It’s a weak tactic, if you ask me.”

Oikawa’s smile and Nishinoya’s anger and Asahi’s tears flashed through Daichi’s mind, and some part of him felt compelled to defend them. “You can’t blame them for trying their best. Oikawa said this strategy had worked before, so trying it again can’t hurt. They can’t just leave it be. Better do something than simply wait for death.”

“Believe that if you want, but I just… know it won’t work. All the hope in the world won’t make it work.” Just then, Suga noticed the look on Daichi’s face and forced himself to calm down. “Sorry, Daichi-kun. I can’t accept that Oikawa and Iwaizumi are pushing this on you after the way they’ve treated everything so far. Oikawa should have told you, but didn’t.”

“I didn’t hear you saying anything about it when I first started talking to you either. You didn’t try to stop me,” he couldn’t stop the accusation from slipping past his lips.

At his words, Suga tensed. “I did, actually. Several times. I said you shouldn’t talk to me. But then I gave up on telling you.”

“I…oh, never mind. You were very vague, you know, just like everyone else. You had the power to tell me, and didn’t. So, don’t push it on Oikawa or any of my friends. It wasn’t their fault. It lies with everybody.”

With a sigh, Suga stood up. “Alright. We’re both getting irritated, but let’s not. I’m going to lock up downstairs, so I’ll be back, alright?” Suga let a hand trail from Daichi’s shoulder to his cheek as he stood up. Minutes later, he’d returned with a console remote. “We’re going to play games, don’t even try to fight it.” Who knew that a bookworm like Suga loved video games too?

Despite the fact he barely won a round (it was clear Suga had hours of experience under his belt), playing a game worked out all the tension he’d been feeling, and slowly, he forgot anything about being mad at Suga, which was likely his aim in the first place. During a lull in the game, conversation of the countermeasures struck up again. “So how did they first set it up? Did the class take a vote on who would be invisible?”

“Not really. That would be kind of mean,” Suga responded with a shrug. “I volunteered.” He said it so nonchalantly that Daichi didn’t even realised what he said for a second. Once the words sank in, his head automatically snapped to face Suga.

“ ** _You volunteered_**?”

“Yeah. It wasn’t fair to make another person suffer when I knew I could handle it. I’m not bothered about being popular, unlike some in our class.” He laughed then, a good sound. “Can you imagine Oikawa trying to not exist? That guy would die without attention. It wouldn’t have worked!

“Not that it worked anyway, thanks to me,” Daichi said in contemplation. “That reminds me, I wanted to apologize for calling you a ghost.”

Another laugh escaped from Suga’s mouth, before he turned and said, “It’s fine, Daichi-kun. And my parents died before you started talking to me, so it couldn’t have possibly been you. I don’t know what happened.” As he spoke, his voice became more soft and quiet; obviously, talking about it still hurt him. Of course it would. He was all alone, right?

“But how do you know that they were victims of the curse?”

“It was definitely the curse,” Suga’s jaw locked into place as he answered. “I just know. I can’t explain how, but I know. I know because my memories have been altered. That’s not normal.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to keep bringing it up.” At that, Suga told him to not mention it, and they kept playing games until night was well underway; Daichi was sure he should get home to see if Asahi had recovered. “Guess I should get gone.” Suga nodded sleepily, turning off the console and the television, rising to walk Daichi to the door. “Hey, if we don’t technically exist at school anymore, why go?”

“What an excellent point,” Suga grinned, and then his eyes widened. “Hey, I’ve got an idea. Meet me at Kenma’s library tomorrow before class, and I’ll explain then!”

Suga’s eyes were dancing with mischief, and there was no way Daichi could turn down whatever adventure he was planning. It was like Suga was bringing light and laughter to Daichi’s non-existence, and he supposed that maybe, this wasn’t so bad.

“Okay!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, comments and criticism welcome! I wrote this late at night, so there is bound to be mistakes, and I don't speak English as a first language, so sorry about that!


	14. June; invisible

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their shared non-existence is kinda fun.

“We’re going to do **_what_**?” Daichi asked, still processing what Suga had said, and trying – and failing – to keep the surprise out of his voice and off of his face.

“Dancing.”

“You can’t be serious.”

With a smile, Suga shook his head. “Did you forget, Daichi-kun? We don’t technically exist anymore to everyone else in our class. So…” he grinned, that spark in his eye again, “If we do something – _for example_ – such as talking in class, or dancing around the room, they can’t say anything to us, or do anything to stop us. Why don’t we take advantage of that?” The grin was growing wider by the second, and even Daichi found himself smiling a little. “Just to teach out class a little lesson! So, if you don’t mind an impromptu dance session, what do you think about us getting a little payback of our own?”

For a second, Daichi wanted to argue that it was fair that the class was now behaving like this; four deaths in and they were desperate. He wanted to argue that they should wait it out and give everyone a fair chance. But then he remembered Asahi that morning; he’d eaten his breakfast as fast as he could and then left as quickly as he could. In his silence, Suga had started to look at Daichi with a look of concern.

“Daichi-kun, is something wrong?”

“I’ve never danced before. I’m going to be terrible.”

“So what? Neither have I!”

“And you still want to dance?!”

“Of course! It could be fun.”

“Everyone’s going to see us!”

“Well, technically they won’t ‘see’ us because we aren’t supposed to be acknowledged. Come on, the pair that suffers together, stays together, right?”

“I don’t think that’s an actual saying…” Daichi laughed, but made no further points against the plan.

Suga made a sweeping movement with his arm. “Well, then, my fair Daichi-kun, our classroom awaits.”

Once in class, Daichi found himself drumming his fingers against his desk impatiently; Suga had said that they’d have to wait until Takeda-sensei’s morning lecture was in full swing. Poor Takeda-sensei, Daichi thought, having second thoughts about all this. Still, Takeda-sensei was getting that invested into his own lesson that he had his back to the students for extremely long periods of time as he rambled on about the importance of algebra as he scrawled on the board behind him.

Automatically, Daichi glanced across the room, over at Suga, who actually looked back for once; with a curt nod, Daichi knew, and they both rose from their seats. They approached each other until both were standing in the centre of the room, in the middle row. There was a strained silence surrounding them as the rest of their classmates struggled to stay focused on Takeda-sensei’s tangent. With a cheeky wink, Suga took Daichi’s hand and started to lead him into a flourishing dance step, wide enough to be effective in distracting all concerned parties in the room, but confined enough to not fling Daichi into a nearby desk. _I thought that you hadn’t been dancing before?_ Daichi wanted to ask him, but kept quiet. They didn’t stick to dancing for all too long, though, and Suga turned to picking up paper and scattering it like confetti. His primary target seemed to be Oikawa, who clenched his fists and kept his eyes strained forward.

As the rest of the class quietly gasped and struggled to look away from the two condemned, Daichi laughed. Man, it felt good to _laugh_. They weren’t quite finished yet, not by a long shot, as Suga crumpled the paper into a ball and ran to the opposite side of the class to Daichi, and chucked it at him. As Daichi caught it, he smiled, and yelled, “Nice receive!” Next to him, he heard a muffled laugh, and turning ever so slightly, caught a glimpse of Nishinoya and Tanaka watching with open amusement, holding a hand to their mouths to stem their laughter.

In their defence, it was a funny scene; Daichi and Suga running around and causing mayhem for their unsuspecting classmates, who seemed intent on staring a hole into the desk in front of them. Hinata looked like he wanted to join in on the mayhem, but as he did so, Kageyama grabbed the back of his shirt to yank him down on his chair – even so, he was hiding a smile, too. Takeda-sensei was so engrossed with the subject that he was still oblivious to the chaos happening behind his back as he continued droning on, writing furiously.

Just once, Daichi caught Asahi’s eyes once, and immediately wished he hadn’t. Mainly, he was going along with this crazy idea for Suga’s sake, thinking he had the right to get some petty revenge for being ignored since the start of the year; but what did Daichi have against anyone? What did Daichi have against Asahi? He’d been looking at him with a pitiful stare, pleading him to stop. Then, he just looked down, taking notes, features looking like they were made of stone. Daichi couldn’t understand the expression, but it tore at his heart nonetheless. He was almost tempted to ask Suga if they could stop, but he also seemed to be having so much fun, actually smiling in class for once, that he couldn’t bring himself to ask.

Nishinoya’s laughter steadily grew louder as they ran around the room, still playing volleyball with a paper ball, to the point that nobody else was really paying much attention to the lecture anymore. Heat was crawling up his back and onto his cheeks, but still, he let himself smile and laugh.

“How rude, I’m trying to teach you how to have a good time, and you laugh at me,” Takeda-sensei said in a false chastising tone.

Before Daichi could make a comment in a voice of his own, Kyoutani exploded from his side of the classroom. “For God’s sake, shut the hell up! Nishinoya, what the hell are you laughing at, huh? Are you laughing at _nothing_?!” Beside him, Kindaichi tried to force him to sit down, his face also stormy. “Shut the hell up, Turnip Head! He’s interrupting the class! Iwaizumi, do something!”

Iwaizumi coldly told Kyoutani to shut up and be quiet himself, commenting that he was adding to the distraction. Meanwhile, Nishinoya had replied back, smirk on his face: “Yes, sometimes I laugh at nothing. I wonder what has you so upset, though.” Kyoutani’s face went red with anger, making Nishinoya and Tanaka laugh enough harder, to the extent Nishinoya had to wipe the tears from his eyes.

“Honestly, Kyoutani-san,” Kiyoko’s voice was a stark contrast to the booming tones of Kyoutani. “You mustn’t take everything so seriously.” She shot Nishinoya a look, and for a moment, he looked like he’d been blessed. “I think after all we’ve been through, it’s good that Nishinoya can laugh. Could you let him do so without making a scene?” With that, she sat down, uninterested in anything but the lesson.

“You should be backing me up on this!” Kyoutani jabbed a finger at her, but she wasn’t paying attention.

“Oi!” Tanaka yelled. _Ah, yes, he was defensive of Shimizu, wasn’t he?_ Daichi recalled. There was a fury rising, and soon Tanaka and Kyoutani were shooting words back and forth as if forgetting where they were.

Stopping where he was, Daichi watched Tanaka start pointing a finger accusingly at Kyoutani; Suga was still dashing in an out of the desks, poor students practically sticking their faces to the wood of the desk, Nishinoya was laughing so hard it sounded as though he was about to keel over from a lack of oxygen, and to add to the mayhem, Tanaka and Kyoutani had now resorted to trading insults and yelling at each other, as if ready to physically fight at any second.

Finally, the commotion got to the point that poor Takeda-sensei turned his back to the board and gasped at the chaos in front of him. “Wh-What? Enough, everyone, _enough_!” he waved his hands down, as if trying to quieten them. “You two, don’t argue! Nishinoya-san, please calm down!” Everyone froze, despite Takeda-sensei’s voice being as quiet as Shimizu’s. “Anybody who’s causing any distraction in this classroom should go to the library and sort themselves out now.” Daichi realised he was indirectly addressing them as Suga pushed his shoulders, forcing him to vacate the classroom, leaving behind the pandemonium they’d caused.

“That was great!” Suga’s face was flushed, and he looked so happy, even Daichi nodded in agreement. He’d certainly not been expecting that. If Kuroo had been there, he would have definitely loved every second – chances were he would have joined in. Saeko too, she would have loved to hear about any misbehaviour. And Yamaguchi, no doubt, would have had fun.

By the time they’d reached the library, they were laughing uncontrollably, so much that Daichi’s sides were beginning to ache. The sound startled Kenma, who was actually reading for once, but he relaxed when he saw them. “Oh, it’s you guys. Are you having fun?”

“You’re reading, Kenma-san?” Suga tilted his head. “What happened to your game?”

“It ran out of charge, so I’m charging it.” 

“You can talk to us?!” Daichi couldn’t hide his amazement.

“Yeah. I’m not related to anyone in your class. It should be okay,” Kenma put his book down, and looked at Daichi. _Oh, that means he must be feeling talkative today_ , Daichi noted, sitting slowly down on a chair opposite him whilst Suga drifted off, probably for a good book to read. “So they’re ignoring you too now, Sawamura-san?”

“Yeah,” Daichi sighed. “Not that I haven’t had fun with it.” At Kenma’s confused expression, he explained the antics of that morning, and even Kenma cracked an incredibly rare smile at that.

“I wish I could have seen,” he commented idly, fiddling with the book in front of him. “But I don’t like going in Class 3-4.”

At that, it was Daichi’s turn to look confused, and even Suga poked his head out from around a bookshelf. “How come?”

“It’s my old class,” Kenma admitted quietly.

Suga raised an eyebrow, before vanishing to look at the shelves again. “You’ve never mentioned that in all the times I’ve been in here.”

On his seat, Kenma curled up. “I don’t like talking about it. I don’t like remembering it.”

“How many years ago were you in the class?” Daichi asked.

“Two,” Kenma admitted. Daichi had to say he was impressed. He thought that Kenma was younger than he was, not older. Oops. “It was an on year.” Meaning that the curse struck. Damn. “In that year, a lot of people died. It was two a month. Ten students, two teachers, twelve family members.”

Daichi had no idea what to say, but it seemed Kenma still wanted to talk. He hadn’t fetched his game, or picked up his book yet, signalling the end of a conversation. “Kenma-san, I’m sorry.” There was a pause. “So… teachers die too?”

He inclined his head slowly. “Homeroom teachers are a part of Class 3-4. Subject teachers are okay, though.” He paused. “I’ve been following Class 3-4 in the two years I’ve been here. It happened once after my year, and then an off year. And now this year.”

“Woah, you have?” Suga poked his head out again. “That’s… dedicated, Kenma-san.”

At the compliment, Kenma said nothing. “The other twenty years were recorded by Nekomata-sensei. He retired last year.” Kenma stood up straight, and went to the back of the library. Oh, so he was getting his game console, and they’d have to stop talking about it now. Maybe Daichi could glean more information later. However, he didn’t, and he’d gone to fetch a rather old-looking notebook. When he sat down, he pushed it toward Daichi, and even Suga approached the table to peer at it. “Here. The first year wasn’t recorded though, but Nekomata-sensei did write something down.”

**_March 1994_ ** _\- One desk short at the start of the first semester. One or more deaths per month – students, students’ relatives. Graduation over. An extra person who couldn’t possibly have been there infiltrated the class. Said student has since vanished. Can’t think of the name._

“For that year, who was the casualty?” Suga asked. “Do you know, Kenma-san?”

“Yeah,” Kenma nodded. “But I had to go searching into the town’s old newspapers. It took me a week.”

“That’s an impressive amount of effort,” Daichi commented politely.

“In 1993, the first year, a student called Torono Tora died, along with the rest of her family.”

“Her? I thought it was a guy!” Suga exclaimed. “Then I’ve been telling it wrong…”

“No, she was a girl,” Kenma confirmed. “The casualty for the year after was her little brother, Torono Toru.” He then stopped. “Hasn’t Sugawara-san told you?” Daichi was confused, so shook his head. “Turn to the next page, then.” He complied, and read the passage left in Nekomata-sensei’s downright awful handwriting.

_April 1994. New year. Teacher and past students directly involved with this extra person phenomenon can’t hold on to their memories for very long. Old teacher has no recollection of mentioning an extra person. Neither do I. Only have what I wrote down to go on._

Daichi flipped through the notebook, which seemed to be endless class lists and observations by Nekomata-sensei. Twice was the poor teacher assigned to take charge of the class during an on year, before he retired to the library. Both times, he stated he didn’t recall who the extra person was, and only knew there had been one due to what he’d written down. “How did Nekomata-sensei even notice all of this?” he raised an eyebrow. The guy was incredibly smart, or incredibly paranoid.

“Events can seem random whilst you’re living them, but when you look back, what can you see?” Kenma asked.

“Patterns, I guess?” Daichi shrugged, and Kenma nodded.

Once he’d retired, Kenma had taken over, and it was much easier to read. Dutifully, Kenma had been writing down the events of this year so far.

_May 26 – Kuroo Tetsurou. Accident at school._

_June 9 - Tanaka Ryuunosuke – older sister (Saeko) – accident at work._

_June 13 - Yamaguchi Tadashi – illness._

No mention of Suga’s parents as of yet. “Look at the year before last. At the bottom.” Kenma supplied helpfully. Written underneath the class list for 2014 in Kenma’s hand was the name **Suzumeda Kaori**.

“She was the casualty of that year. Her name isn’t listed with the rest, look.” Suga tapped the page, before snatching the book off of Daichi and rifling through it. “Here!” he put it down on the table, his finger pointed at the class list of 2010. “There she is.”

It was true. On October 9 2010, Suzumeda Kaori had died from medical complications (as Nekomata-sensei stated it), only to reappear in 2014, making the records match up. However, underneath the 2014 notes section, Kenma had written something.

_Suzumeda Kaori’s name was listed as part of the class for Class 3-4 that April, and I found no mention of death in the class 3-4 of 2010. There was no ‘x’ or cause of death, so I assumed she was still alive. Even though I’ve overtaken Nekomata-sensei’s role as observer, I never had the slightest suspicion about Suzumeda Kaori, even though she couldn’t have been there._

“Once high school was over; didn’t you want to leave Miyagi? Attend university somewhere, away from everything?” Suga asked. “That’s what I want to do.”

“I had to wait for Kuroo,” Kenma said quietly. “I will have to wait for a long time now.”

Sensing it was a sore subject, they moved on. For a little longer that afternoon, Kenma told the pair of them various stories about the ‘phenomenon’. He’d corrected Daichi and Suga into using that word too, explaining: “I don’t think ‘curse’ is the right word for it; it’s easier to understand it if explained that way, but there is no actual spite behind the deaths. It’s just… like a very big accident.”

“Kenma-san, that’s kind of cold…” Suga trailed off.

“Sorry.”

This was great, for Daichi anyway. After nearly two months, he was getting information. For example, the range of the disasters had been unknown, but now he knew that the disasters only affected members of class 3-4 and their family within one degree, and that was as far as it had ever gone. Suga then pointed out it was probably because only Tora and her immediate family had died. Even so, it meant that parents and siblings weren’t entirely safe, which had made Daichi begin to worry about his father, but Suga had pointed out proximity. The further away from town you were, the weaker the effect it has. Meaning that Daichi’s father, who wasn’t going to be in the country for an entire year was probably the safest person connected to the class.

Suddenly, Daichi recalled something Kuroo had told him on that rainy day he’d been going to visit his mother. “Kenma-san, did something happen on a class trip, a long time ago?”

“Yes. 2000,” Kenma replied. “Nekomata-sensei records that the remaining students in that class that year died in just one month. They were going on a trip since it took them out of range and made it safe. They took bus to the airport, but they were involved in an accident. After that, there were no more deaths, but it’s not a good solution.” So that’s why they went in the second year.

“So… now that there are two of us who don’t exist, are the disasters going to stop?” Daichi clenched a fist under the table. “I don’t know. For the disasters to stop halfway through is rare.” There was a pause. “Let’s stop now. I’m tired.”

+++

During lunch, the two didn’t bother going to the cafeteria or back to their homeroom; somehow, being around other people reminded Daichi of how lonely being invisible was. The weak sun was shining, and though it was a little cold out, his jacket kept him warm. Staying close to Suga’s side was a good way to keep warm too. Yet it was still annoying him, the way he was being treated, and the way that Suga had been treated thus far annoyed him further. “Suga,” he spoke up. They’d lapsed into another silence again, Suga resting his head on Daichi’s shoulder, staring at the swaying trees beyond.

“Mm?”

“How can you accept how everyone’s treating you? Just to complete this talisman?”

Still leaning on Daichi’s shoulder, Suga began to speak. “Because I know that there’s no other way. If it hadn’t been me, I would have just had to follow the others, and pretend that someone else in our class doesn’t exist. I think it’s better that I’m the one. Haven’t I told you before?”

“You did, but still…” Daichi trailed off. “It’s still wrong, Suga. You should be enjoying high school, especially your final year.” A thought struck him. “Hey, Suga, you didn’t play volleyball, did you?”

“I did. I was a setter,” he replied slowly. “Though I wasn’t the best in the class, I still wanted to carry on playing volleyball. I didn’t play for merit, like some do. I just… loved it.”

“So you don’t play anymore?”

“I can’t. Even if I somehow joined the class during gym, do you think they’d let me play? How can they toss to somebody who isn’t there?” he closed his eyes. “That’s what being the invisible in this class means. You have to give up everything. Friends. After school activities. Volleyball.” He sounded upset, but smiled anyway. “But on the bright side, I don’t have to do clean up duty!”

“Do you go and practice at any gyms?”

“No, there aren’t many around here. I tried to go a couple of times to one, but not a lot of people attend.”

“There are loads in Tokyo!” the words were out before he could stop them. “So you could come and visit me, and we’d go there. And there are loads of bookstores that you’d like too! I’ll be your tour guide!”

Suga had started peering up at him, and smiled quietly, before leaning back on Daichi’s shoulder and taking his hand. “Sure. Someday.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please comment with any criticisms!! Thank you all for reading!


	15. July; exhaustion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the talisman continues, the detrimental effects of the phenomenon continue to plague the class.

_“Isn’t what Sawamura-san’s doing dangerous?” Kenma turned to the volleyball captain of Class 3-4._

_“Yeah. I think it is,” Kuroo sighed, running a hand through his hair._

_“I would have thought the teachers would have explained it to him before he got here.”_

_“Whatever the plan was, he’s already talked to him too much. He’s supposed to not be there.”_

_“You or Iwaizumi-san or Oikawa-san should have explained to him when you saw him at the hospital.”_

_“It wasn’t the right kind of atmosphere; you get me? I think we were already creeping him out enough. He seems like a smart guy.”_

_“You can’t do it now?”_

_“There’s a problem with that. If we explain now, we have to acknowledge that he exists. And that would be bad, wouldn’t it? I mean, Oikawa’d be pissed.”_

_“Maybe Oikawa-san should do it, then.”_

_“How would he do that without making the same mistakes I would?”_

_“Yeah, you’re right. It doesn’t sound promising.”_

_“If nobody dies in May, then it solves the problem, right?”_

_“Let’s just hope we can get through this month without anything happening.”_

_“For real.”_

_“What about outside of school? If you manage to get Sawamura-san on his own, you could explain it then.”_

_“Yeah, I could do that. Sounds good. Thanks, Kenma.”_

+++

In the library, Kozume Kenma sat up with a sigh, rubbing his eyes, and looked around for Kuroo. After all, they’d just been talking, right? With a horrible realisation, he remembered. It was July, with April and Kuroo long gone. “I forgot. You’re not here anymore. Sorry, Kuroo.”.

With that, he picked up his game, and stopped thinking. However, within five minutes, he’d turned it off, somehow not being able to focus on it, not without imagining Kuroo. By this time, he’d tease him, saying he was far too addicted, and should come out and play volleyball. At first, he wasn’t sure about the sport, as the rest of the team picked on him for being bossed around by his _kouhai_. But he stuck it out, since Kuroo enjoyed it.

He sat back in the library, looking at the books; his only company nowadays, since Sawamura and Sugawara didn’t show up every day, and Shoyo didn’t show up at all due to the risk of seeing the people he was meant to be ignoring. It didn’t matter, at least Shoyo texted him, often during class. Usually asking for help.

In the recent days, the only person he’d had any contact at all with was Haiba Alisa, Lev’s older sister and his former classmate. Somehow, her family had escaped unscathed during the calamity of that year, though the same couldn’t be said of Kenma. And for her to put at risk again… it wasn’t fair to not warn her. He’d spent a while searching for her number, not wanting to ask Lev. Unsurprisingly, Kenma did not like Lev.

She’d been happy to hear from Kenma, which had surprised him, since they didn’t really speak a whole lot when they were in class together. Somehow, conversing over text was always easier. Inspired by his talk with Sugawara and Sawamura, he decided to ask her about their shared memories of Class 3-4.

_Alisa: So, you’re still at Miyagi South?!_

_Kenma: Yes._

_Alisa: How’s my little Lyovochka?_

Kenma had grimaced at that. The last thing that he’d use to describe Haiba Lev as was **little**.

_Kenma: Lev is fine. He’s in Class 3-4._

_Alisa: Whaaat? He never told me that!!_

_Kenma: I think this year is an on year. Are you in town?_

_Alisa: Nope, I moved to Kyoto! I’m good for now!_

_Kenma: Oh, good. I thought I should tell you._

_Alisa: Thanks, Kozume!! Don’t worry about me!_

_Kenma: Do you remember anyone in our class called Suzumeda Kaori?_

_Alisa: ??? No???_

_Kenma: Oh, I was looking through our old class list and was trying to talk to a few people._

_Alisa: I’m sorry, Kozume! L_ _I don’t remember!!!_

_Alisa: I thought I was the only girl in our class???????_

_Kenma: I must be thinking of someone else. Sorry, Haiba-san._

_Alisa: Aaaah don’t worry about it!!!_

_Alisa: Hey, uh, Kozume???_

_Alisa: The kid who’s not there this year. Are they okay?_

_Kenma: He’s fine._

_Alisa: So he’s not like Yamamoto?_

_Kenma: No._

At that, the conversation had ended. Kenma remembered Yamamoto Taketora; before he’d ceased to exist, he was your happy-go-lucky typical loudmouth that grated on Kenma’s nerves. Of course, all that had stopped when he was the lucky person chosen to actively stop the calamity. For the first few weeks or so, he’d buckled down and gone along with it, and everything was okay for the class. However, once the first month was up, he slowly begun to snap. It was at that point Kenma noted that whilst there were some people who preferred solitude – and Yamamoto-san was not one of them – very few could withstand it.

That fateful day in May, he’d stood up, body shaking in anger or fear, slamming his palms on the desk. The rest of the class had clearly refused to react, but Kenma recalled the cold feeling running through his veins, telling him, _you should go now, Kenma, this isn’t safe anymore, Kenma._ “You all think I’m not here… but I am right here!” Yamamoto had declared. “Look at me. Look at me! Look at me, damn you!”

Kenma had ended up glancing at him briefly, but somehow this was enough. Since he was unable to handle the pressure of being alienated, he gave up his position as not there, and the phenomenon began. From what Kenma recalled, he was the casualty of May. The only thing that pulled him out of his reverie was his phone beeping once again.

_Alisa: Hope I’m not disturbing anything, Kozume!!! But I just thought, didn’t it stop halfway through for us? If that helps you at all!!!_

“…Did it?” Kenma wondered aloud, but text back: _Yes, that is a lot of help, thank you, Haiba-san._

Without further ado, he went over to the precious notebook with all of his information, quickly adding notes for the first year about Torono Toru, and carefully sticking in the newspaper clipping of the fire that struck a classmate in that fateful accident twenty-three years ago. Then, he turned to his year, with shaking fingers. Probably from fear, he thought.

 _“Think of your shivers as excitement rather than fear. Cover the anxiety on your face with a smile.”_ Kuroo’s voice drifted into his mind. He’d said that before a volleyball match, hadn’t he? The advice had yet to fail him, so Kenma offered the page in front of him a smile.

No, the death toll was still the same. Twenty-four people. But… it hadn’t been two a month, and he was stumped as to why he’d thought that. For now, the only explanation he could come up with was that the calamity had altered even his memory, despite his role as observer. Hence, he wrote the words: **STOPPED AFTER FIVE MONTHS** at the top.

Apparently, the deaths had stopped in the third week of August, only five months. And in that short space of time, twenty-four people had died. He sat there, frowning deeply at the information in front of his eyes. That summer break, something… must have happened. A small part of him must have known this, surely, since he’d even said to Sawamura and Sugawara that stopping it halfway through was rare, but he’d never said that it had never happened.

In his own small way, even after two years had passed, and taken many lives with it, Kozume Kenma was fighting against the phenomenon. _Kuroo would be proud_ , he thought to himself, and managed to smile. _So, I’ll solve this, for Kuroo_.

Strangely enough, the notes for that year had ceased to exist, or gotten lost. It wasn’t a strange thing, the notebook was getting on in years, so pages falling out was to be expected. Perhaps he should transfer all this information to a newer notebook so that it could last longer. He had the time for it. It wouldn’t hurt to check, however, and he opened the drawer of Nekomata-sensei’s desk slowly. Like almost everything Nekomata-sensei had left behind, it was old, and ready to fall apart at any moment. It was where Kenma liked to hide the notebook, since that was where he’d found it, when Nekomata-sensei was forcing him to clean the library as punishment for skipping class. It had been covered in salt, too, and when he’d asked the former librarian, he’d shrugged, and said it kept ghosts away.

Kenma had kept applying salt every year.

At first glance, the drawer seemed empty, and he was all but ready to slam the drawer closed in an anger he didn’t know how to express. But then, at the back, peeking out from under a mountainous pile of salt – _oh, maybe I should clean it_ – was a very crumpled piece of paper. When he pulled it out, hope blossoming in his chest like a flower in spring, he was met with a cloud of salt, which he coughed out and waved away. This was Kenma’s note sheet for his own year. So that meant that neither Sawamura or Sugawara had seen this before; Kenma could barely remember himself what he’d written on it. Likely chance was that this sheet of paper contained the truth that not even his brain could remember.

The way it worked was very strange; Kenma decided to make a note of it later. He’d believed it to be two every month, and the phenomenon had completely rewritten the fact that it had ended partway through. Since Haiba Alisa was in Kyoto, it made sense that she remembered it clearly, being out of range for its effect. Chances were he’d have to print off screenshots of his conversation with Alisa in his new notebook when he got round to it, and dedicate a page or so to memory altercation. Studying supernatural things was hard, Kenma thought to himself, feeling the urge to have a nap.

His notes for that year were more extensive than they were for other years, so it would take him a while to get through to any useful information. Two deaths in May, two in July, two in June. These six deaths were all family members. In August, there were eighteen. Six family members in the first two weeks. And on the third week… ten students, and two teaching staff - the homeroom teacher, and their volleyball coach.

Reading that made him feel sick. The problem was that so many took place within the same two-day period. What had happened in that five day period that resulted in so many deaths?

Written neatly, in Kenma’s own hand, was the answer.

**Monday 18 2014 – class trip to Hachiman Shrine. Sensei thinks that going to a holy place will protect us from the phenomenon.**

Eagerly, he wanted to read on; surely high school Kenma wrote something to help future Kenma, right? At the very least, he hoped so. Before he could do much, in shuffled Takeda-sensei, looking exhausted. Kenma, who was no stranger to sleep deprivation, recognized the signs; pale face, bruised eyes. “Hello, Takeda-sensei.”

Forcing a wan smile at the librarian, Takeda replied, “Hello, Kozume-san. There’s no need to call me sensei, we’re both staff here.” Kenma was about to argue that he was Takeda’s former pupil and it only seemed right for him to be polite, but he kept quiet. Slowly, he closed the notebook, not wanting Takeda to see it; reminding him of the curse now would be insensitive.

Unsure of what to say and feeling awkward, Kenma brought up his default topic of conversation. “We’re having nice weather recently.”

“…What should I do, Kozume-san?” The teacher held his head in his hands, looking exhausted, and sounding like he was about to cry. At first, Kenma thought he was talking about what he should do with the nice weather, but it finally dawned on him. Already being terrible with people, he had no idea quite what to say, so he said absolutely nothing at all. “How can I…” the teacher trailed off with a heavy sigh.

Kenma kept quiet, terrified of saying the wrong thing. If Kuroo was here, he would know what to; if Kuroo was here, he’d make the sensei smile as he’d made Kenma smile – but Kuroo was not here, and all that Takeda had was Kenma.

“I’m so tired, Kozume-san. So, so tired.” As if to emphasize his point, he put his head on the desk, glasses digging into the skin on his face, but if it hurt him, he didn’t give Kenma any indication he was.

“You should be able to rest soon,” said Kenma, hoping that would be good enough.

“Thank you, Kozume-san,” the teacher breathed, before sitting upright. “You of all people should understand.” Kenma didn’t know what he was talking about, but replicated the smile he’d been given earlier and nodded. That gave the teacher some solace, at the very least, and in his chest, Kenma felt pride blooming there, almost sensing the smile Kuroo would have given him, along with the praise. _Good job, Kenma!_

“You’re the observer, aren’t you?” Takeda asked again, looking hopefully at Kenma. Yes, Kenma supposed he was an observer, so he nodded cautiously. “Then… promise me you’ll keep an eye on them. My class. My precious students.”

“I promise.” He was confused; wasn’t he already doing that? Wasn’t Takeda doing that also?

“Good, then I’ll leave the rest to you. If that’s alright?” He seemed to be begging for something, and the librarian had no idea what, so just nodded again. With that, Takeda stood, with a strange expression on his face. “Thank you, Kozume-san. Thank you.”

“Oh… yeah,” Kenma replied quietly as the teacher walked out again, with a renewed purpose. That was… strange, Kenma thought, trying to dismiss the bad feeling in his stomach. Events out of the ordinary always disrupted something in his head, though sometimes it wasn’t always a bad thing – he’d made friends with Shoyo because of one, so he figured they couldn’t all be terrible. Yet a tiny niggling voice at the back of his brain – which sounded a lot like Kuroo – was telling him that something was wrong, he should do something, or he should run away.

Trapped by these options, Kenma curled up on his seat and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to think of what it could be, but all that his mind brought up was a big black void of nothingness. Then he gave up, and lay still for the longest time.

Until he heard the screaming.

+++

To make up for their bad behaviour, Daichi and Suga had buckled down for the last month or so; whilst they weren’t obligated to attend classes anymore, Daichi knew the importance of them. Being ignored had really given him a new motivation to do his homework, but good grades were hardly worth his loss of friends. Suga had helped him settle into non-existence, giving him tips and pointers along the way. First of all, never put his name on any work he gave in. He mustn’t give the work directly to the teacher, either; usually, Takeda-sensei would put it on his desk for a few minutes, and in that time, they would walk up to the front and place it at the bottom of the pile. When collecting it, Takeda-sensei would leave it on his desk again, and they would go and collect it.

Besides, the universities he was hoping to get into had an acceptance rate of 23%, so slacking off barely registered as an option for him. Hence, he worked hard, knowing that the state his body was in wouldn’t allow him to try for a sports scholarship. Damn, he was out of practice.

Unbeknownst to Daichi, Suga had been working incredibly hard too, spurred on by the dreams they’d discussed of Tokyo. After his parent’s deaths, Suga hadn’t had any motivation at all, no reason to live, no reason to even get up in the morning; all he’d done was lie in bed all day and night, occasionally moving to get food when his body was practically screaming for it, and sit in the shower until it ran cold. Each day, he’d drag his feet to school to be treated as if he was dead too. But when Sawamura Daichi had arrived in his now permanently grey existence, it was like he’d brought colour and life along with him, with his kindness and perseverance. For the longest time, he’d felt like he didn’t have a future; but now he knew that he did have one – one that was with Daichi.

That summery day on the final week of school, Daichi himself was feeling pretty good. Though things hadn’t changed, Asahi had found loopholes in the curse, and whilst communication between them wasn’t the best, it would do. Little signs, like a cup of coffee left on the side, almost saying, _I know you’re there, I miss you._ Maybe things wouldn’t be as bad as originally thought. Since then, nobody had died, so perhaps this talisman really was working. Deep down, Daichi knew that was what Oikawa was thinking and feeling – that this time, he had saved the rest of his classmates.

At the front of the classroom during homeroom, Takeda-sensei was giving yet another morning speech. Recently, Daichi had noticed his teacher’s plummet in mood, and he was certain his other classmates had too, especially Asahi, but he tried to give them pep talks each and every day. But as the days dragged on, the talks, whilst having a positive meaning, Takeda-sensei delivered them with a tone that grew more and more defeated. Kuroo and Yamaguchi must be hanging heavily over his head, as well as what had happened to Tanaka’s sister. Though he was still as obnoxiously loud, Tanaka had lost that certain happy edge that made him, well, Tanaka.

Some of his classmates seemed to be suffering from detrimental effects; Ennoshita was always checking up on Daichi out of the corner of his eye, and now Suga too. Like he was checking they were okay. Asahi was much more subdued and quiet, probably ladled with guilt; Nishinoya was angrier, fighting anybody at the slightest provocation. He’d been suspended for a few days at the end of June for giving Kyoutani a well-deserved black eye. Hinata seemed to be working double-time to keep up his happy and optimistic attitude, but all that earned him was both Kageyama and Tsukishima snapping at him. Yachi cried a lot more now, sat in the classroom, sniffling.

This break was needed, Daichi thought. Everyone needed to escape that classroom and the memories it held, and would hold for eternity. Looking around at the classroom, Daichi could only begin to imagine the grief and terror it had seen. Maybe places had memories, too.

“Class,” Takeda-sensei began with a sigh. “Today, I must apologize to you all.” That caught all their attentions; out of the corner of his eye, he found Suga sat straight, staring at the teacher with an unreadable expression. “Many times, I’ve asked you to work together so we can all graduate in March with good spirits and smiling faces. I too have tried to give my best effort.”

Iwaizumi looked as though he wanted to say something, but after a few seconds of opening and closing his mouth, he left it. It was obvious what he wanted to say. _We know, Takeda-sensei. We know how hard you’re working for us._

“These unhappy events began in May, with the loss of our talented volleyball captain, Kuroo-kun,” he looked away from the class down, dropping his head in shame, then shaking it, curls bouncing. He lifted his head once more and began to talk. “But still, I told myself that we would all persevere. Is it impossible to stop once it’s begun, no matter what lengths we have to go to?”

He must have been feeling guilty about pretending two of his students weren’t even there, when they could be suffering too. There was very little worse than suffering and not being able to tell a single soul. Daichi had no idea how Suga had managed. All he knew from that was that Suga was incredibly strong.

“Or is there a way to put an end to this?” Once more, Takeda-sensei sighed. “I don’t know. Truly, I don’t.” He tried to smile again, but even to Daichi, it seemed forced and bland. It was then he noticed how pale his teacher was. Was everything alright? “As your homeroom teacher, I’m obligated to work with **_all_** of you-”

Oikawa tensed, and sent a glare at Daichi and Suga. _Dangerous ground, Oikawa-san_ , thought Daichi.

“-and help you overcome any trials and tribulations, so you may all go to graduation unharmed, but… but I… I still…” he seemed to be struggling for words. “I…” he cut off, coughing, eyes bulging. When he straightened up again, the saliva around his mouth was tinged red. He’s bleeding. Something was wrong.

Oikawa and Iwaizumi stood up, but he waved them down, and all of them could only stare, transfixed at their teacher, with matching horrified expressions. “Sensei!” Iwaizumi yelled. “What-”

“Whatever the future brings,” Takeda smiled, sounding incredibly forlorn, “it’s up to you, now.”

With that, their teacher fell forward, his head slamming almost painfully on his desk, before sliding to the floor. With no hesitation, Oikawa and Iwaizumi rushed forward, with Kiyoko standing up to, as if to shield Yachi and Hinata from the sight. But the damage was done. Who started screaming first, he had no idea, but others soon joined in, a shrieking siren of horror. With no hesitation, Hinata fled to the door, yanking it open, and the sounds of him being very ill ensued. Suga leapt to his feet, but didn’t budge an inch; Daichi couldn’t even do that, feeling blood freeze in his veins, and a familiar pain in his chest.

Outside in the hall, Hinata looked up to see Kenma sprinting very quickly towards him, looking with distaste at the puddle of vomit on the floor. “Shouyou, what happened…?” The expression on Hinata’s face – his features haunted – sent a chill down Kenma’s spine. “Is something-”

“Takeda-sensei,” mumbled Hinata. “Takeda-sensei is…” Not listening to the rest of his sentence, Kenma ran to the room. The first thing he saw was the horror on Suga and Daichi’s face, and he felt even more worried and scared. It was then he saw Takeda-sensei, with Oikawa and Iwaizumi knelt by him.

“Everyone should leave the room,” Kenma said loudly, and Iwaizumi looked at him with a nod. Still, the only person who moved was Kinoshita, who collapsed to his knees as he stood up.

Anger flicking across his face, Iwaizumi stood up straight and yelled: “Get out of here! Right now!” At that, people began to flee the room in mass, practically stumbling over one another to escape. Kageyama immediately looked for Hinata and stared at him with distaste, saying nothing; both Nishinoya and Tanaka supported Asahi, who was mumbling something intelligible. Meanwhile, Daichi couldn’t move, the pain in his lung flaring to almost unbearable levels, his breath growing short. If it collapsed here, he could become the second death of July. Clutching his chest, he willed himself to stay alive, as if it would do him much good.

“Daichi,” Suga’s voice cut through his thoughts. “Let’s go. Do you need help?” Daichi nodded wordlessly, and took Suga’s hand, feeling like dead weight. “It didn’t work, Daichi. Even with both of us not here, it didn’t work…” Daichi nodded again and allowed Suga to lift him out of the room.

“Shimizu-san, call an ambulance,” Kenma instructed the girl, whose expression hadn’t changed at all. Still, she didn’t move; she didn’t appear as though she’d understood. “Please hurry.” At that, she nodded and stalked out the room, phone in hand, and went to stand by Yachi, arm around the other girl’s shoulder. Kenma additionally dismissed Iwaizumi to go and fetch Coach Ukai, and he quickly complied.

Oikawa had other plans, and stomped into the hall, almost breathing down Daichi’s neck.

“This is your fault.” His voice was as cold, almost shattering the ice that had seemed to form in Daichi’s bloodstream and chest. With Suga’s help, the pair turned to face him. A confrontation, now? “Sugawara Koushi. If you’d stayed in your role as not there, like we all agreed at the start, then nobody would have died. And you, Sawamura Daichi, are the reason he couldn’t do that, because you started talking to him.”

He took a threatening step towards them, but neither moved an inch. “The fact that Kuroo-san died, the fact that Yamaguchi-san died, it’s all your fault! **It’s all your fault!** ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took three times for me to write, and I'm still very unsure of it! Please let me know what you think!


	16. July; nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The guilt and responsibility he feels begins to get him down.

**THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!**

Daichi had no idea where he was. It was all dark, and even flailing his arms around to feel for anything yielded no results. For now, he was just stumbling around in the dark, feeling as though he couldn’t breathe.

**THIS IS YOUR FAULT.**

Once more, the voice reverberated out again, and Daichi spun around, looking for the source. Emerging out of the dark was a lone white apparition, its form still vague and hazy. Despite the fear pumping through his veins, Daichi stumbled towards it; if it was a guide to get him out of here, he’d take it. As he approached, he faltered, the breath caught in his throat, and he felt like he’d been winded. “No…” he swallowed, facing the apparition. “Takeda-sensei?” The teacher wasn’t smiling or happy or friendly, as he’d been when slipping Sugawara a burger at the sports festival; no, he was the teacher from the last few weeks, pale-faced with bruises under his eyes from sleepless nights.

**THIS IS YOUR FAULT, BRO.**

With a sick feeling pooling in his stomach, Daichi turned away from his teacher, and his settled on another ghost from the past. The face was shadowed, and not of his own will, his feet took him towards it. _Stop this, stop this, I’m sorry_ , he wanted to yell, but his mouth remained clenched shut. This next nightmare had a smile plastered across his handsome features, his black hair a wild mess. “Kuroo-san,” Daichi wanted to be ill, and soon. “I’m sorry, Kuroo-san. I’m-”

**THIS IS YOUR FAULT.**

Spinning around, he looked down, to see his next horror curled up on the floor, as he were in terrible pain. Tears were streaming down Yamaguchi’s face. “No… I…” His tongue felt heavy and leaden in his mouth, and he was beginning to feel progressively worse, tears beginning to poor out of his eyes. “This isn’t my…”

**YO, SAWAMURA! THIS IS YOUR FAULT.**

_That voice…_ No, no. She couldn’t be here too. With his limbs trembling and feeling like a puppet, he turned around to face her. She was laid on the floor, unsmiling. This was wrong, she was meant to smile. “Saeko-san…?”

**THIS IS YOUR FAULT.**

“It’s not…”

**THIS IS YOUR FAULT.**

“It can’t be…”

**THIS IS YOUR FAULT.**

“I didn’t…”

Suddenly, his hand was lifted, and he looked around. Stood there, bathed in light, like an angel sent to pull him from his hell, was Sugawara, soft smile on his face, eyes filled with unspoken comfort. The other hand lifted to stroke Daichi’s cheek, almost lovingly. And with a tone, just as caring, he spoke.

“ **But Daichi-kun, it is your fault, though**.”

+++

With a yelp, Daichi sat up, his chest positively aflame. Huffing, he clutched at his chest until the feeling had passed, and he could breathe easily again. Checking the clock told him it was late mid-morning, and there didn’t seem to be any sign of Asahi. Since that fateful day on their last day of school, the taboo had been broken, and he and Suga both had been acknowledged.

That night, he and Asahi had sat on the couch together, holding hands, no words spoken between them. They were scared and sad, and needed each other, but what could be said to make this better?

For a long time, he lay in his bed, listening to the silence, wondering what it must be like to feel something so sad it made you cry. Was it his fault? Because he talked to the boy who didn’t exist…? He clapped a hand to his mouth, and began to sob like he was a child again. It was his fault that they all died so horribly. He wanted to go and say sorry; he needed to go and say sorry. He wished that there was a better word than ‘sorry’, but then he’d probably need a better word. Even so, he needed to do something to make amends. With shaking hands, he got ready in silence, a clear plan in mind.

Unlike the events of the previous week, the days were only becoming nicer, the weather almost near perfect. Keeping away from what he’d come to learn as the busy parts of town, he made his way to Miyagi Memorial, his heart heavy. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea, after all, and was about to turn away, but an internal sense of duty spurred him on. It occurred to him then that he didn’t know where their graves lay, but what did that matter? He would look all damn day if he had to.

Fortunately, he didn’t really have to, and found Kuroo’s grave very quickly. Words failed him then, fizzling out in his throat and he just sat there, hoping Kuroo received the words he wanted to say. Any apology he tried to make didn’t sound adequate, so he just sat there, guilt flooding through him. Finally, he stood up, feeling like his limbs weren’t quite connected to his body, and stroked the headstone. “I’ll… I’ll look after Kozume-san.” Maybe that would give Kuroo some closure; maybe it wouldn’t. “I’ll stop the curse too. I know that doesn’t mean anything to you now, but…” he froze then, tongue feeling like lead. “I’m sorry.”

It sounded empty, hollow, not good enough. But it would have to do.

At Yamaguchi’s, it was no different. If he’d never shown up in Class 3-4, if he’d never spoken to Suga, if he’d just gone along with everything, then Yamaguchi would have been fine, he would have been the best pinch server in the class. A couple of times, he sniffled, keeping in the tears he’d been holding in for weeks on end. It wasn’t fair; he’d been thinking so much of his future in the recent weeks; had these guys once done the same?

“Pathetic,” a voice cut through his thoughts, and he looked up. Blocking out the sun with his perpetual scowl, Tsukishima stood above him, glowering. “Why are you here, Sawamura-san?”

“I…”

“Did you want to make it up to them?” Daichi looked away. Tsukishima was right on the mark; he must be suffering too – this was his best friend, wasn’t it? Yet Tsukishima hadn’t cried, not once. “Thought so.” Tsukishima sat next to him, looking away. “Well, if you want to make amends…”

In hope, Daichi looked at him.

“Give it up. You can’t.”

Those hopes shrivelled and died in his chest.

“Not to these guys, anyway. You could cry and apologise all you wanted, but they can’t hear you. So don’t bother wasting your breath.”

“Then what should I do? I know this is pointless already, but I…”

“Just wanted to clear your conscience. Because you’re clearly guilty, right?”

“Yeah.”

“No.” His tone was so final it caught Daichi by surprise. “You’re not. But if you think you need to atone for something, then just keep on living. Live as hard you can, with everything you’ve got. That’s how you can atone.” He turned away. “Or you could just die. But that’s the coward’s option. You’re not a coward like this guy, are you?” Tsukishima nodded at Yamaguchi’s grave. Daichi said nothing. In his blunt, frank and rude way, Tsukishima had somehow made him feel better.

He straightened up. “Thank you, Tsukishima-san.”

“I didn’t do anything.”

The next – and final one – that remained was Saeko’s. Saeko, whose death had been the far most horrifying; Saeko, who thought she could tackle this curse with information alone; Saeko, who never gave a thought to her own safety, or much of anyone else’s. As he knelt in front of the grave, wishing he’d brought some incense so he could pray properly, his thoughts were disrupted by sniffles and half-stifled wails. Looking to his right, he saw a woman knelt in front of a headstone, dressed in all black, a veil hanging loosely off her head, revealing her face. Her face was pale and streaked with tears, her hair a mad brown tangle; frankly speaking, she looked half-mad. Though he was sure to leave the woman alone, she looked so in pain that he felt obliged to do something, and walked quietly over to her.

“Ma’am…?” he called out quietly, and she snapped around, as if frightened. To make her feel less threatened, Daichi took a step back. “Are you… alright?” _What do you think, moron?_ A voice inside his brain snapped at him, and he could have rolled his eyes at his own stupidity.

“I…” the woman spoke, and pulled the veil off her head. “I don’t know.”

Daichi sat down where he was stood, keeping a safe distance. “I know what you’re going through, ma’am. I’m terribly sorry for your loss.” The woman said nothing but sob and nod erratically.

“Th-Thank you,” she stammered out. Out of morbid curiosity, he checked the name displayed on the headstone; unexpectedly, his skin prickled as a cold sensation tingled down it.

**OIKAWA AKIHIRO**

Oikawa? As in… Oikawa _Tooru_?

“You’re at Miyagi South…” the woman trailed off, staring at Daichi’s uniform, with eyes that seemed to look past him. “What class are you in?”

“Um,” he swallowed, having difficulty talking. “Third year, Class 4.”

“My Tooru’s in that class,” the woman said. “He’s trying so hard, he’s trying so hard, with so many bad things happening to him.” She turned to the grave. “My poor Akihiro… my poor Tooru, too. They’ve both suffered so much. My poor Tooru, suffering still. My poor, poor Tooru…”

“Iwaizumi-san is looking after him,” Daichi said, as if in comfort, knowing it wasn’t enough.

“Iwaizumi-chan?” Oikawa’s mother recognised the name, and smiled. “How is Iwaizumi-chan?” this woman was… what was the word? Ah, yes. _Unsettling_. Considering his mother’s fragile mental state, and the calamity currently occurring at his school, there was small wonder in Daichi’s mind why Oikawa’s mood had gone downhill. He too was having a bad time.

“Iwaizumi-san is very well,” he replied politely. “He’s our class president. He’s very fair and kind.”

“I knew that he’d do well,” she nodded, as if in a daze. “Iwaizumi-san is so smart. He’ll look after my Tooru.”

“Yes, he is very dependable,” Daichi agreed.

The woman fell quiet again, turning to the grave. Suddenly, she let out a bark-like sob, and began wailing again. _Oh dear_ , thought Daichi. _What should I do?_ The answer to that was to remain silent, and let her work it out of her system. “My poor Tooru! My poor Akihiro!” she screamed, disturbing the general tranquillity of the cemetery. “It isn’t fair on them. They’re in so much pain.” She spun to Daichi again. “But my Tooru is fine, right? He’s still strong?”

“Of course, ma’am,” Daichi replied out of manners. “He’s one of our class leaders, too. He and Iwaizumi make a great team.”

Once more, she’d quietened. “Yes, yes,” she mumbled. “Of course. Leadership. It was always made for him.” She looked at him, with a childish curiosity. “Iwaizumi-chan and Tooru will always make a good pair. Always. They love and respect each other. Always have. Always, you hear me?”

“Yes,” Daichi nodded rapidly, wanting to appease her. “I can totally see that when I see them!”

“You can? I’m glad…” she smiled warmly then, the grief-stricken shell almost gone, but returned quickly. “I’m so happy for Tooru. I’m so happy.”

Keeping quiet, Daichi wondered when Tooru’s father had died, and if it was part of the calamity. If it was recently (judging from his mother’s condition and his behaviour upon Takeda-sensei’s demise, this seemed likely), then he’d kept it incredibly quiet, hiding it from everyone. It also meant that he’d known the talisman was failing, but still remained silent on the subject. Clinging to hope came to mind. To settle the thoughts raging in his mind, he took a peek at the headstone, past Mrs. Oikawa’s form.

**DECEMBER 1975 – APRIL 2016**

_…April? APRIL?!_

Barely containing his shock, Daichi clenched his fists, trying to rage the thoughts sprinting through his mind, giving him a headache as though they were crashing against his skull. What is this? What is this? That meant that right from the very beginning, Oikawa had known the calamity was striking, but kept up the act anyway. Had he known when he visited Daichi in hospital? Did he know it then? For how long had he known?

Suga’s words floated into his brain: _“I didn’t want to believe it was the curse. Not right away. Nobody wants to think they’ve lost someone important to a thing like a curse. After all, curses are made up, fictional, and believing in them is stupid.”_

Was Oikawa the same way? But even for this long… he didn’t know what to think, or what to feel. Nor did he want to ask their head of countermeasures about it; that seemed like the height of cruelty. But still… doubts crept into his mind like a plague.

“I’ll leave you now, ma’am,” Daichi stood up.

“What’s your name?”

“Sawamura Daichi, ma’am.”

“Nice to meet you, Sawamura-chan.” _What an odd honorific. It’s like I’m a child._ Daichi thought to himself.

“Yes, ma’am, same to you.”

With that, he returned to Saeko’s grave – if she was here, he could have talked out this problem with her, and finally, she’d end up leading him in the right direction. Without her guidance, he knew that he could never solve this as fast as he would have liked to. How many lives would be lost before he could stop it, if he could stop it at all? How many friends would he lose?

Asahi? Nishinoya? Tanaka? Hinata? Kageyama? Tsukishima? …Suga? Were their lives in the balance? His own life meant to little; if anything, should this calamity ever claim him, he would probably be thinking: _yeah, I saw that coming._ But for it to happen to them… no. It couldn’t.

“Yo, yo, look! It’s Daichi-san!” there was a joyful cheer – strange for a graveyard, and Daichi looked up to see Tanaka approaching with Nishinoya, and strangely enough, Suga. “You came to visit Saeko-neesan too?”

“Yeah,” he agreed, moving over for the other three.

“That’s nice of you, man, she’d appreciate it,” Nishinoya grinned. “What’s with the long face? Saeko would have pinched your cheeks until you smiled, kinda like this!” He grabbed the sides of Daichi’s face and forced his mouth into a grimace. “What d’you two think?”

“He looks wonderful,” Suga said, and even though it was meant in jest, Daichi still went red. Finally, Nishinoya released him. “You came to say sorry, didn’t you, Daichi?”

“Uh…” Tsukishima and now Suga, too? Was he that easy to read? “I did.”

“To who? Big sis?” Tanaka snorted. “Don’t blame yourself, man. Nobody else is. Nobody’s blaming Suga-san here, either.” Seeing someone from Class 3-4 acknowledge Suga was very strange.

“What about Oikawa?” Daichi asked.

“Oikawa can kiss my ass,” Tanaka said decidedly.

“Don’t be so crude,” Suga chastised him. Casting a worried glance at Oikawa’s mother, who was only a short distance away, Daichi was comforted to see that she hadn’t heard, being too lost in her head.

“I mean, you can be guilty all you want, Daichi-san,” Nishinoya shrugged, “but it wouldn’t exactly change anything.”

“Noya-san…”

“Snubbing you was horrible, I swear,” Nishinoya sighed. “But I guess you get the situation. Class rules. What bullshit.”

“Yeah, I understand,” Daichi nodded. “I was fine. I had Suga.”

“We didn’t have a choice, man,” Tanaka grumbled. “Saeko would have punched me if she’d found out. Like. In the face.”

“Daichi, did you hear the news?” Suga asked him, a smile on his face; Daichi shook his head. “Kenma-san is our new homeroom teacher.” _Poor Kenma_ , Daichi thought.

“The librarian?” Tanaka scratched his head. “That quiet guy who looks like a cat?” Noya socked him on the arm.

“Yo, I’ve heard some people have booked it already,” Nishinoya spoke out, eyes sparkling. “Loads of people do it during on years. They get outta town for summer.”

“Because the danger doesn’t reach them, you mean? When they’re out of Miyagi?” Daichi asked, and Nishinoya nodded.

“Yup! But it’s possible that they die before they escape,” Nishinoya sounded enthusiastic, but it fell out of his voice once he realised where he was.

“They can’t just leave town, maybe they went on vacation,” Tanaka shrugged. “They’d have to tell their families what’s goin’ on, and that’s against the rules.”

“Maybe so,” Suga shrugged, “but it’s a tough call, really.”

“You’re such a weirdo, Suga,” Nishinoya punched Suga on the arm too, causing the other to grunt in pain. “You’re wrapped up in this too, you know, but you’re acting all cool, like it ain’t your problem. It’s almost like you are the casualty for this year!”

“Suga isn’t-” Daichi was about to protest angrily, but Suga laughed.

“Me? Well…” he smiled furtively. “I don’t think I am, anyway.”

“Figures…” Tanaka grumbled.

“Hey! But you know they say the casualty doesn’t even know they died… so maybe-” Nishinoya tried again.

“But that means you could be the dead one too, Nishinoya-san…”

“H-Huh? Me?” Nishinoya sounded panicked. “No way! I’ve got like… super vivid memories of my whole life, ever since I was a kid. I don’t know what I could have even died from! No, seriously, I swear!!”

+++

_‘The casualty’…_

An ‘extra person’ who was supposed to be dead, hid in Class 3-4 at Miyagi South, every year for twenty-two years. _Who was the ‘extra person’ for this year?_ But… what would Daichi even do if he found out who it was? There was no way to stop the disasters once they’d started.

_Who is the casualty? Who is the casualty? Who is the casualty?_

As he laid in bed that night, the question swirled in his mind; its monotonous tone lulled him into an uneasy sleep. As he entered the world of dream, he saw them all stood in front of him: Asahi, Nishinoya, Tanaka, Suga, and Oikawa and Iwaizumi too. “Guys…” he called out to them, but they were just shadows; there was nothing human in their eyes, just soulless vacancies. _Who is the casualty? Who is the casualty? Who is the casualty_? “I don’t know.”

Who could be… the ‘extra person’ and ‘casualty’ for this year? Who could it be…?

A warm breeze ran through his hair from behind, and Daichi turned around, feeling fear course through him. It’s not real, he knew, but it sure felt that way.

Standing behind him, hands tucked in pockets, was… himself. Just like the others, his eyes were dead, not belonging to the world. Is that what people saw when they looked at him? “Me? It’s me?” he choked, feeling a horrible weight on his chest. His lung, his lung, of course. “No. I can’t… That’s impossible!”

“The casualty has no recollection of dying,” the other Daichi looked at him, approaching him, quiet footsteps echoing. “They exist because a corruption of their memories tell them ‘I’m not dead’. Kenma-san told you that.” The hand that clutched his shoulder felt like a talon, and was as cold as Oikawa’s voice had been. “At the start of this year, they had the right number of desks, remember? Then May started, and all of a sudden, they were short one. You know why?”

He wanted to run away from himself.

“Because you transferred. A student who unexpectedly bumps the class up by one…” the grip got tighter, almost painful, “should be the extra.” The other Daichi grinned. “What’s not to say that you didn’t die in hospital? The only reason all your visitors could see you was because they were connected to your class. So… just so you know…

“ **You’re the casualty**.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I picked Oikawa's father's name based off Oikawa himself. 大畠 (Akihiro) means "large glory", which fits a "grand king". As always, leave any thoughts/criticims that you may have!


	17. July; investigation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whilst Daichi gains hope, Oikawa loses it.

Waking with a yell, Daichi sat bolt upright in his bed, heart hammering in his chest, lungs and throat feeling tight. _You’re the casualty_. For what seemed like an eternity, those words swirled around his brain.

 _No_ , he told himself, _it couldn’t be me. The casualty for each year is someone who already lost their life to the phenomenon, and the range for the disasters is restricted to members of the class and their blood relatives within two degrees. And if you’re outside Miyagi, you’re not a target. In order to die from the phenomenon, I would have had to lived here at least once before, and have been related to someone in Class 3-4 by at least two degrees._ “It’s not possible,” he muttered to himself. “It’s not.”

+++

“Do you know what that guy said to me after that?!” Despite the otherwise quiet setting, Nishinoya’s voice could be heard throughout the building as Daichi stepped inside. Last night, he’d received a text off Kenma asking for him to meet him in the café in town, and bring a couple of friends with him – he’d asked Asahi and Noya to come with him, and Tanaka too, but he’d declined, saying he had to do some stuff. He tried to contact Suga too, but he was remaining mostly silent about it all.

“Hey!” Hinata yelled when he saw the pair of them, waving his arm like a loon. “Over here!” _Kenma must have invited him,_ Daichi thought.

“’Sup,” Noya nodded. “We’ve been waiting for you.” Sat on the table as well was Kenma, who looked like he hadn’t talked for years. “So’s this guy. He’s chill.” At that, Kenma nodded.

When they were all sat down, Daichi looked at Kenma. “So… what’s up, Kozume-san? You said you wanted to meet up.”

Before he could answer, a waiter came up to them. “Hey there,” he grinned. “You’re in my little brother’s class too?” Daichi looked up in confusion. “I’m Kei’s older brother, Tsukishima Akiteru. Nice to meet you,” he grinned at him. “I’m sure you’re keeping my troublesome little brother in line! He’s a little shit, feel free to sock him whenever.”

“Oh, right, I’m…”

“Sawamura-kun, right? Kei’s mentioned you once or twice,” he smiled warmly. “Now, what can I get for you?”

“Ice tea, please,” Daichi asked politely. “Asahi?”

“Uh, um, just a fruit juice, please!” he stuttered, but Akiteru nodded.

“Got it. Make yourselves comfortable!” he called over his shoulder.

According to the explanation that Daichi got from Kenma, it turned out that Kei had finally cracked and told his brother everything that was going on. Immediately, out of a sense of duty, he’d reported this to Kenma, and was about to go to Oikawa, but fortunately, Kenma stopped him. After that, Kenma had gone to talk to Akiteru (though not before mentally preparing himself for several days, first, and even then, asked Shouyou to accompany him), and discovered that Akiteru had been a student at Miyagi South, but not in Class Four (“ _One of the lucky ones_ …” Nishinoya sighed). Akiteru had then accepted most of what he’d been told, especially after hearing some disturbing rumours in his time there.

“It isn’t like this problem will go away because we’re worried though,” Daichi pointed out. “Once they’ve begun, they don’t stop.”

“No matter what we do, it’s…” Asahi trailed off, letting the thought fizzle out.

“But… because of that conversation…” Nishinoya started off, clearly building up tension, “We…”

“We got new information!” Hinata burst out excitedly.

“Hey!” Nishinoya protested.

“Yeah,” Kenma agreed. “So I thought we would all come here to hear it from Tsukishima-san.” On the table was the notebook detailing every year of the disasters, and Kenma’s pen was poised.

When Akiteru finally brought their drinks, he sat down at the other end of the table; there were no other customers, and this place was family-run, so he figured that his parents wouldn’t mind much.

“I have a regular come in here about every three days. Drinks the bar dry, let me tell you,” he started with a chuckle. “Bokuto-san. He graduated from Miyagi South in 2014. I knew that he was in Class 3-4, so when Kei told me all of it, I decided to ask him about it. I asked if there was an extra person in his class during that year. By that point, he was well on his way to being incredibly drunk, but it registered. He looked kind of startled, but then…”

_The silver haired man sat on the bar relaxed after a couple of seconds of looking downright horrified._

_“Yeah, yeah,” he nodded. “The curse that year, it was…” he struggled to find the words, waving his arms wildly, as if that could translate to anything. “I didn’t do anything wrong!” he began to wail, slamming his head on the bar with a heavy clunk._

_Akiteru peered down in worry, fearing he might have passed out._

_“I saved them,” Bokuto insisted. “I saved them!” His face looked haunted, and strangely, Akiteru felt very scared. “I wanted to tell someone, so I left it in the old creepy classroom! I hid it!”_

“That happened about a week ago,” Akiteru said. “Whenever he came in after that, I tried to ask him about it, but he’s just… forgotten. He was incredibly pissed at the time, though.” He chuckled again with an easy smile.

“Those directly involved with this can’t hold onto their memories very long,” Kenma quickly explained. “Perhaps the alcohol re-awoke a random memory. I don’t know if that could happen though.”

“It totally gets in your head, right?” Noya leaned forward with a grin.

“Yeah! Totally!” Hinata agreed enthusiastically, jumping to his feet.

“I guess, yeah,” Asahi mumbled quietly, clearly spooked. Daichi merely nodded.

“Then…” Nishinoya smirked, “We’re all in agreement. Let’s go and search for it. Find out what **_it_** is. So… we’ll meet up at the school gates after dark.”

“Say what?!” Daichi yelped in surprised.

“Why’s it gotta be at night, Noyaaa?” Asahi wailed. “Kozume-san will help us, right, Kozume-san? We don’t have to go in the dark!” Kenma shrugged. “Kozume-san…!”

“It’s more atmospheric this way, obvs,” Noya shrugged.

“This sounds so cool!” Hinata grinned.

“I don’t think he’s going to change his mind at this point, Asahi,” Daichi laid a comforting hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Maybe it’ll be fun.”

Following their meet-up, Daichi had broken off from the group, and went to Suga’s bookstore. When he opened the door, a little bell chimed, and Suga, who was sat at the desk, looked up. “Welcome to the Sugawara Book St- Oh, it’s just you, Daichi.”

“Jeez, try not to sound too happy to see me.”

“You should know by now I’m always happy to see you!” He leaned forward. “Now, what can I do for you?” Once Daichi had filled him in on the details, Suga leant back, nodding. “Oh, really? You’re going to search the old school building?”

“That’s right. Do you want to come with us?”

“I’ll leave the search to you, I think,” Suga smiled. “Being outside after dark is scary! And besides, you can’t have too many people involved in something like that. But if you find anything… please call me, Daichi.”

That night, he and Asahi were the last ones to show up, with Nishinoya, Hinata and Tanaka waiting. “There they are!” Hinata celebrated.

“Friggin’ finally, I’m freezing out here, man,” Tanaka grumbled, shuffling his feet.

“That’s everybody,” Nishinoya clapped his hands together, before leaning towards Tanaka. “You feeling this rush, Ryuu?! We’re at school at night, man!”

“Hell yeah!” Tanaka whooped.

“You guys, keep it down!” Asahi hissed, waving his hands in panic, casting his around, looking for someone to arrive and tell them off.

“Ready?!” Nishinoya asked.

“Let’s goooo!” Hinata cheered.

“Hell yeah!” Tanaka whooped.

“I’ll hit them later,” Daichi told Asahi.

“Just avoid their heads,” Asahi agreed.

They arrived at the forbidding sign strung across the stairwell at the old building. “We going?” Hinata swallowed, suddenly nervous. _Small wonder_ , Daichi thought. _This building’s creepy as hell_.

“Please tell me you guys brought flashlights,” Asahi muttered.

“’Course we did, dumbass!” Tanaka grinned.

Once they reached the famed Class 3-4 (“This is where it all began, huh,” Daichi commented idly), they all split up to search. For a while, Daichi tried to think logically about it: would it be somewhere that was easy to be find? No, it had to be somewhere else, in a place that couldn’t be found too easily, but still somewhere that a person could eventually stumble upon it. Surely that’s where he would have hidden it.

On the back wall was a row of small lockers, one of them slightly ajar. In there, maybe? They were mostly undisturbed, covered in a thick layer of dust that made Daichi’s eyes water, and cough, covering his mouth as he opened the door. At first, nothing seemed out of place, but Daichi did more than a thorough check. On the top of the locker was a lump, stuck there heavily with duct tape. “Hey, this is-!”

“You find something, Daichi-san?” Nishinoya looked up.

“There’s something taped to the ceiling here!” he announced, and the others looked up.

Asahi, the tallest of the bunch, reached up to tear it down. “There’s something written on it. It’s kinda messy,” he peered at it, trying to discern to the symbols. “To anyone in Class 3-4.” He pulled out the thin plastic box from the tape. “Hey, it’s a voice recorder.” He pressed play, but all that came up was the foreign language oral exam. He skipped ahead, but it was all the same.

“Dude, what the hell?!” Tanaka moaned.

“Do you understand English, Daichi?” Hinata asked, pleading.

“Not well,” Daichi admitted.

“Then, we’ll have to give it to Kenma-san!” Hinata exclaimed. “He’s smart!”

“Yes. Let’s trust Kozume-san,” Asahi agreed, handing it reluctantly to Hinata. “Now be careful with that, okay?”

“Yessir!”

Still, Daichi couldn’t help but wonder if the recording was going to lead anywhere. He wondered if the CD would give them any clues at all. Was there really something that would stop the disasters of Class 3-4?

+++

Oikawa Tooru had spent the last few hours in bed, simply staring at the picture of Iwaizumi, Kuroo and himself from the start of the year, his phone being the only source of light in the room. With a sigh, he shut it off, and put it down at long last, closing his eyes. “Iwa-chan,” he mumbled to himself.

Kuroo was dead. Yamaguchi too. Tanaka’s sister. Takeda-sensei, too. And…

 _I could be next_. Unbidden, the thought jumped to his mind; at the same time, a crash from the hallway was heard, and his heart leapt in his chest. _Mom. Mom. What if she’s fallen? What if she’s just died?_

Cautiously, he leapt to his feet and ran to the hallway. On the floor, his mother was knelt, having dropped a plate of food. “Mom…?” Upon seeing him, she burst into loud tears and ran away into her room, slamming the door. She didn’t want to see him. That was fine. Silently, he went down to the kitchen to sweep it up and dispose of it. Perhaps he should make something for her, a cup of tea, something soothing. With that, he returned to his room, sitting on his bed again.

Through the walls, the sound of his mother’s sobs and wails could be heard, and seemed to get right in his head. She’d been like that ever since…

No, he didn’t want to think of that.

Like a child, he put his hands over his ears, trying to block it out. It was clear he couldn’t tell his mom anything about what was going on in Class 3-4. She’d freak out.

There was nobody to save him from this. He didn’t want to die. He didn’t want to die.

A few hours later, when his mother’s wails and cries had silence as she fell into a nightmare-filled sleep (shut up, shut up, shut up!), the paralysis that had overtaken his body released him at last, and he breathed a shaky sigh, hands feeling like lead.

Nobody was going to save him; not a single one. If he couldn’t rely on anyone, then he had to do something about it. All by himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit shorter than usual, but please give me your thoughts on it!! Thank you!


	18. August; hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It'll be alright, they have each other.

When the holidays drew to a close and school began again, Kinoshita, Narita, Haiba and Ennoshita weren’t in their seats. Whispers ensued, with people speculating where they were – scornfully, Kindaichi announced them to be “the second years who ran away”, earning a smack from Iwaizumi.

It was strange, seeing Kenma stood at the front and not Takeda-sensei. As always, Kenma seemed awkward and quiet, but the class were respectful, as always. To Daichi, it looked as though Kenma wasn’t aware of what to do, and was trying to figure it out. Finally, he took a roll call, annoying Oikawa, if the clenched fist was anything to go by. After he’d finished, a silence settled on the class; Daichi recognized the signs of Kenma trying to think. This didn’t last long, as finally, Oikawa stood up, apparently with something to say.

“Kozume-sensei,” he sounded furious. By now, it was clear to tell that Oikawa’s state of mind was quickly deteriorating as time went on, but whether it was his home situation or the desperation for a solution or the responsibility and guilt he felt as a failed head of countermeasures. “Some of our classmates are missing. Ennoshita-san, Kinoshita-san, Narita-san, and Haiba-san. Where are they? As their teacher, you must have been informed.”

Expectantly, the class turned to Kenma, who looked like a deer caught in headlights, before composing himself. “Haiba-san has gone to live with his sister. He is fine.”

“What about the rest?” Oikawa pressed.

Kenma fell silent, and Daichi braced himself for the worst. “Kinoshita-san and Narita-san attempted to leave Miyagi over the summer. They were caught in a car accident. I’m sorry.” Kindaichi looked incredibly guilty – _the second years who ran away_ indeed. Daichi wondered where that nickname had even come from, but there was no point asking now. What of Ennoshita, he wanted to ask. What of the boy who tried to help me? “Their families wanted to keep it private. They didn’t want to worry you.”

 _We should play a game sometime_. Isn’t that what they’d said to him? Though they hadn’t talked much, it still made him feel unsafe, sat there on his desk. Right now, his lung could just pack up and he could die, right there and then. In his mouth was the metallic taste of fear.

“Ennoshita-san?” Oikawa rudely prompted; Iwaizumi glared at him.

“I can’t tell you, I don’t know,” Kenma said quietly, looking down. “He…He’s just gone. But the police are looking for him. I promise. They’ll find him.”

With that, Oikawa balled his fists and yelled: “So that’s just it then, is it? They’re dead, end of story, goodbye?!” Kenma physically flinched away from the head of countermeasure’s fury. “How can you be so cold about all of this? Takeda-sensei would have given us time to feel sad! You’re just writing them all off like they don’t mean anything to you! Those are people, you, you, you-”

Kenma said nothing in defence, and watched Oikawa breathe heavily as Iwaizumi pulled him onto his chair. “Sorry, Kozume-sensei,” he apologised on Oikawa’s behalf.

“No, it’s okay,” said Kenma, looking away. “I’m sorry, Oikawa-san. I… I know that a lot of things have happened so far since class started, and I think that it’s very important for all of us to remember that there is more to life than tragedy… There’s more than… death… in this world.” He looked down, before speaking with a renewed vigour. “I’m ashamed that I let this happen, and I want to do something about them. To honour the memory of the people we’ve lost, and to remind ourselves to live for them, I’ve arranged a class trip at the end of this month, for five days, from the fifteenth to the nineteenth, to the Hachiman Shrine.” He looked down. “It’s a… very important ritual,” he said, finding the words. “You don’t have to come, but I would like you to. I have, um, letters and forms. I need them by next week, though.”

At lunch, there were whispers – weren’t there always? “…What do you think? Are you going?” Hinata asked his group, who were as usual, crowded around poor Yachi’s desk.

“Are you kidding? No,” Tsukishima looked positively repulsed by the idea, and looked away. “I don’t fancy dying, thanks.”

“Why are they doing a class trip during an on year is my question,” Kageyama grumbled with a sigh.

“We could be better off going on that trip!” Yachi tried to sound cheerful, but it just made the expressions of the group around her darken marginally.

“It’s good that you’re keeping positive, Hitoka-san,” Kiyoko smiled down at the blonde girl, who blushed in response.

“Yeah, but a positive attitude won’t solve our problems,” Tsukishima sniffed haughtily.

“But!” Hinata burst in, “It will annoy enough people to make it worth it, though. Like me!”

“Yeah, you are annoying,” Kageyama chided.

“You’re right, Yachi-san. We could be better off going. We could also be worse off, and with a curse, I’m not taking any risks,” Tsukishima told her coldly. “Neither should you. Yamaguchi wouldn’t want you to.” At that, Yachi looked down.

“Tsukishima-san, don’t be so cold,” Kiyoko chastised him. “Hachiman a shrine. I’ve heard a rumour that we could cleanse ourselves of the curse.”

“There are rumours already?!” Hinata’s mouth dropped open.

“Oikawa-san said he’s going… Iwaizumi-san too,” Kiyoko said, as if that meant anything. “We should be safe with those two there.”

 “ _Really_?” Kageyama mumbled darkly, but he was ignored.

Tucked away in the library sat Suga and Daichi, talking with Kenma. Mainly they’d been asking him about their deceased or missing classmates, but Kenma had clammed up. Realising it was pointless, they grilled him about the snap decision of a class trip.

“2014. Something stopped the curse part way through 2014,” Kenma said to the pair of them, both Daichi and Suga listening carefully. “It’s the only year to ever do that, though. I haven’t deciphered the recorder yet, so I’m just using my notes.”

There was an unspoken _so don’t get your hopes up_.

“In that year, twenty-four people died,” Kenma continued explaining, “but after September, nobody else died. But look at the dates of the last deaths. All in the same week.”

“They were at this… Hachiman Shrine place?” Daichi asked, to which Kenma nodded slowly. Something happened on that trip to Hachiman two years ago that stopped the disasters completely.

“So, how and why did they stop?” Suga pressed.

“It might be on that recorder,” Kenma said. “I haven’t managed to find it yet. There are 200 files on that thing. But it was, well, a shrine. A shrine are also sites of forces beyond human understanding, much like this phenomenon.”

“So there was… _divine intervention_?” Daichi said in a low whisper.

“The claim was made,” Kenma said. “They repeated it again in 2015… with no apparent effect.”

“So visiting the shrine didn’t change anything?” Suga asked, frowning. “There could always be conditions for the visit, for example… oh, I don’t know, a certain number of people.”

“But it could be something entirely,” Daichi said, and the other two frowned.

“Only time and that recorder will tell,” Suga said with a sigh.

“I’ll work on it,” Kenma promised. “I know what you guys are going through. I don’t know how to make it better, or what to say so you feel okay again, but I want a solution. For Kuroo.”

“Yeah, us too,” Daichi said. “We can do it, Kenma-san. Let’s save the rest.” _Can we?_ He thought to himself. _Can we? Can we?_

Underneath the table, Suga held his hand.

After that, they decided to head up to the roof, to give Kenma some alone time – he liked those. Since it was still technically summer, the sun was still strong in the sky, warming Daichi’s face. It seemed a perfect, peaceful afternoon; Suga’s hand in his own, leaning his head on his shoulder, eyes closed, both sat in tranquil silent. Deep down, Daichi never, ever wanted it to be over. Tugging at the edge of his brain was the starting of slumber, and then and there, he fell asleep, Suga sat by him.  

“ **It’s your fault**.”

Daichi blinked at the dark figure in front of him. “I know.”

“It’s your fault!” the voice grew louder, angrier; a shift in the form revealed itself as Kuroo, neck horrible twisted, disgusting, cheerful smile on his face. He was stumbling, barely able to stand. There was a hate in his eyes that felt like it was burning Daichi alive. “I shouldn’t be dead.”

“Same here!” a voice spoke behind him; terrified, he spun around, and came face-to-face with Saeko, blood running down her face, smothering her face as she tried to talk. “Why the hell did I try to help you? Fat lotta good that did me.”

“I know,” said Daichi again, much quieter. “I didn’t mean… please.”

Both of the deceased faded away, leaving a lone figure in his field of vision – Yamaguchi. “You told me I could be great. You said I could run and play like the rest. Why did you lie to me, Sawamura-san?”

Light flooded into whatever hellish dimension they were stranded in, revealing what was left of his classmates lying on the floor, broken and lifeless. As he identified them, his stomach turned, and he pushed past Yamaguchi to reach them.

On his way, he passed all of them. Asahi, tears flowing down his face, Nishinoya, curled into a small ball, Kenma with wide eyes, and finally… Suga. “No, please, no,” he whispered hoarsely, collapsing to his knees and shuffling towards Suga, trying to touch him, but it was like his fingers ran right through him.

“Did you forget? He’s only real to you.”

“It was you all along, it was all your fault.”

Different voices spoke, all at once.

They didn’t matter. “Oi, Suga! Suga!” he was yelling, shaking the silver-haired boy. “Suga! Come back! Suga! Don’t leave me!”

A warm hand tapping his cheek woke him up, and he flickered up to see Suga knelt above him, eyes filled with concern. “I’m not,” said Suga. “I’ll never.” It took him a while to figure out he must have been sleeptalking – oh, embarrassing – but even so, he grabbed Suga and hugged him. “Hey, what’s all this about?” Suga asked gently.

“It’s my fault,” Daichi replied. “It’s all my fault.”

Suga almost sighed in exasperation. “It’s not. It never was,” he whispered, soothingly, and it seemed to work.

“What if I’m the dead one?” Daichi asked. “A student who bumps the class up by one. The extra student.” Against him, Suga was shaking his head. No, no.

“I know it’s not you, Daichi,” he replied softly. “Here.” Moving a hand over Daichi’s, he then lifted it so it was pressed to Daichi’s chest; against his palm, he felt the dull beat of his heart. “You’re alive. You’re here.”

“I’m still here,” Daichi repeated. “I’m sitting in front of you, I’m still...”

“Yes. You’re still here, Daichi,” Suga dropped his hand and embraced him, leaning against his chest. He was warm. Suga was alive too, Suga was real too. “It’s not your fault, Daichi. Never. Even if it was, it doesn’t matter. You can’t start over, but you can begin now, and create a new ending. Okay?”

“Yeah,” he replied, somewhat numbly. “Okay.”

They stayed like that for what seemed like eternity, and when the bell summoned them back to class they didn’t answer it, and remained on the rooftops, wrapped up in each other. For just a brief moment, all that existed then and there was the two of them and the summer sun. “Hey, Daichi,” Suga spoke up finally, his voice sounding small in the face of everything they’d gone through, and would continue to go through. “Can I tell you something?”

“Anything,” Daichi replied with complete sincerity.

“Before you came along, I was very scared of dying,” he whispered, eyes clenched shut, as if not wanting to see Daichi’s face, as if fearing judgement. “But I didn’t want to live, either. Everything was just… grey.”

Deep inside him, Suga remembered. Death wasn’t kind; it was dark, and black, and cold, and as far as you could see, there was nobody else, you were alone. Back then, it was no different from being alive. But even though his life had become nothing but suffering, he’d found a reason to keep going.

“It was like you brought colour to my life, Daichi,” he continued. “All by yourself, you changed my life.” On his face was that small smile, the small smile that Daichi knew Suga by. “So now, I think if the end comes today, I think that this will have been enough.”  

“The end won’t come today,” Daichi said, surprised by his words out. “It won’t come tomorrow, or the day after that, or a week from now, or a month from now. I love you, so I’ve decided to protect you, so you can stay you for as long as possible.”

The last thing he remembered was Suga’s soft lips pressed against his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GOD I JUST WANTED THEM TO HAPPY FOR ONCE I SWEAR BUT THIS ISN'T GOING TO LAST LONG AND I HATE MYSELF


	19. August ; taken chance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They're all at breaking point, yet they find reasons to keep going.

Whether it was the humidity, or the fact that most of the food in his house was well on its way of being out of date, but Oikawa Tooru wasn’t feeling good. Swinging unsteady legs out of bed, sweat pricking on his forehead and the back of his neck, he unsteadily made his way into the hall. Strangely, despite it only being eight, his house was silent; no unintelligible wails floating through the walls, no semi-crazed screams. Had she exhausted herself out already?

Maybe today would be one of the good nights, where she slept fitfully until Oikawa was out the house when she woke up the next day. Usually that meant when he got in from school, she’d be beside herself with worry, and she’d grab at his clothes and kiss and hug him like he was in elementary school. Recently, she’d been thinking that a lot. He should ask for help, he knew, but that would be giving in. Besides, he didn’t want Hajime seeing him like this.

Oikawa Tooru refused to have his hands tied by anything. He was strong, and could handle this. Soon, he’d find a job, and he’d manage to save up enough to get his mother the help she needed. As of right now, all they had was the money left behind his father, and the grief fund given by the government. Soon that would run out, he knew, but right now, he had other concerns, such as staying alive.

Her bedroom door was slightly ajar, which was weird. If she left it open, she felt unsafe.

 _It didn’t used to be like this,_ he thought wistfully himself. _Dad always cared for her, always made sure she was alright. It worked, it was always fine and happy. What the hell do I know, though? Maybe she’s always been like this, and Dad was good at covering it the hell up._

But still, the silence concerned him. “Mom…?” he ventured carefully, making sure his footfalls couldn’t be heard. If the floor so much as creaked, she’d freak out, as with most things. Cautiously, he pushed the door slightly open, making sure to be slow, so she had time to recognize it was him. “Mom, it’s Tooru. I’m coming in, alright?”

Silence. Probably cowering in fear.

“It’s your son. I’m not going to hurt you.”

 _Did she think that?_ He thought, feeling a stab of pain his chest. Still, the silence persisted. The nauseous knot in his stomach tightened. The room was dim, worse than the hall; he could barely make anything out.

“Mom, I’m going to turn the light on, alright?” No response, and bracing himself, he turned it on. What would he be tonight? Wails, like she’d seen a ghost? Screams, like she was terrified of him? A few times he’d caught himself in the mirror, and realised how much he looked like his father. To his mother, that’s all he was. Not her son. Just a reminder.

Laid on the bed, as if in sleep, was his mother. Padding cautiously towards her, Oikawa shook her lightly, expecting something extreme, yet, nothing. So he shook harder, and harder, until his hands had left a red mark on her arm, but she didn’t so much as open her eyes. “Mom!” he yelled, scared and angry, feeling like the child she treated him like. The realisation didn’t quite sink in until he shook her a final time, pulling her slightly.

Her head lolled, and her eyes stared past him, into eternity.

Backing away, terrified, his back slammed into the wall, and his weakness made him slide to the ground “No…” he mumbled, shaking. “I… I don’t…”

At that moment, the words turned into bile, and getting on all fours, Oikawa Tooru was violently sick.

+++

Laying out the last of its golden road across the town below, the sun folded itself into the horizon. Far above, the sky had turned a deep blue-black, drinking up the darkness that was spilling from the east.

For someone so hot-headed and impulsive when he wanted to be, Iwaizumi sure loved the sensation of being calm, or in the process of cooling down. One way that he’d found it working for him was taking strolls under the stars, because they always reminded him of Oikawa. Which was weird, since he saw Oikawa every day, but maybe it was like... oh, he had no idea. It was just nice.

One time, on a date (though they hadn’t called it that for months), Oikawa dragged him onto the rooftop of his house with blankets and pillows and pointed out all his favourite constellations (what a big nerd), and he’d even pointed out a frowny face only he could see in the stars, announcing loudly, “That’s where you came from, Iwa-chan!” After that, Iwaizumi had smacked him, but he thought of that time fondly.

Lost in reminiscence, he looked up, and found the star that was Oikawa’s favourite, the one that he said he came from, and where he’d go when he died. Polaris, that was the one, the North Star, the one shining brightly. If things went Iwaizumi’s way, that wouldn’t be for a very long time; thinking about Oikawa pissed him off again, so he carried on walking in the dark night. With death looming so close by, that seemed more and more likely with each passing day.

Over the summer, three more had died, and they hadn’t been able to do jack shit. That pissed him off. The curse pissed him off. But if he ever let that anger show, that was when he’d failed. Showing emotion in a time such as this would be weakness, and for Oikawa’s sake, he had to be strong. Steadily, he’d been noticing it more and more with Oikawa’s behaviour; less guarded, more desperate. It was easy to know why; Oikawa was terrified. Though Iwaizumi didn’t know the details, he’d seen the state Mrs. Oikawa was in – that must wear Tooru down. But he’s toughing it out. Not once has he asked for help. Even if Iwaizumi offered his help, whether Tooru would take it or not was a different matter.

 _Tooru_. His name brought a longing so powerful that tears sprang to his eyes.

That pissed him off. The hell was he crying for, he thought, rubbing his eyes. There was nothing wrong, Oikawa was still alive, and that was all that mattered for now. _Fucking Oikawa,_ he thought bitterly. _He’s not even here and he’s ruining my fucking night_. A quick jog by the river where the air was cooler might work out the irritation pumping through his veins; he was dressed for the occasion, so he wouldn’t look out of place. Not that it mattered, since who the hell was out at a time like this?

Behind him, the shrill shrieks of an ambulance sounded out, and he idly watched it rush past, eyes flashing with spots of blue and red.

Though the street it was turning down worried him. That was Shittykawa lived, and there was a bad feeling in the air. Deciding to not run to the river, he began to jog instead to Oikawa’s house, adrenaline pumping through him. When he turned the corner, his heart stopped.

The ambulance was outside Oikawa’s house.

And he was running, running, running.

Only when he saw Oikawa stood like a lost child on his front step did he slow down, and simply watched the scene unfolding. Paramedics were loading someone into the ambulance, though Iwaizumi couldn’t see precisely who, but he could hazard a guess. Ever since they’d started third year, he hadn’t once set foot in Oikawa’s house, and whenever he suggested a sleepover, Oikawa would insist that they’d go to his house, and make up a million reasons why it couldn’t be his house. For a while, something had been clearly wrong, but Oikawa hadn’t breathed a word about it, and Iwaizumi never asked.

In hindsight, maybe he should have.

Once the ambulance had pulled away, with Oikawa watching it forlornly, Iwaizumi stepped where he could be seen. By that time, Oikawa had turned away and was beginning to walk back into his house like a marionette on strings. “Oi. Trashykawa.”

At the stupid nickname, Oikawa froze and turned to face him. “Iwa-chan,” he responded, his voice sounding far away.

“That your mom?”

“Yeah.”

Oikawa sat down on his front doorstep, and Iwaizumi did the same. “How’s your dad?”

“He’s not in town,” said Oikawa. “I’ll have to call him and tell him later.”

“The hospital could do that for you,” Iwaizumi suggested helpfully, and Oikawa just nodded.

“Yeah, they could,” he agreed, “but I think I’d prefer to tell him myself. It only seems right.”

“Do you think it was the calamity?”

“What else could it have been?”

Why did that sound like a threat? “Good question,” Iwaizumi sighed. “You’re by yourself now, aren’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m staying, then.”

“You can’t.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t want to stay in my house,” Oikawa said. Of course, Iwaizumi thought bitterly.

“Then come to mine. I’m not leaving you on your own.”

“I’ll be alright. You don’t have to stay, Iwa-chan.”

“Yes, I do,” Iwaizumi pressed. “What kind of guy would I be if I left you here at a time like this?”

“I don’t know, Iwa-chan.” Somehow, it seemed like Oikawa wasn’t just answering his question, but addressing all sorts of questions all at the same time. In any case, he sounded like he hadn’t slept well for weeks. “What should I do now?”

“Pack some bags, come and stay with me,” Iwaizumi insisted.

“And after that, what do I do?”

“We could stay up all night talking, and we’d have breakfast in the morning. Then we would go to school, and we would carry on like everything is normal. Because we have to.” He paused. “We go to that shrine trip Kenma-sensei wants us to visit. If there’s a slightest chance to stop this, then-”

“I doubt it,” Oikawa said, leaning back with a sigh. “Who’s not to say you’ll not be the Casualty of September? Or me?”

“We won’t.”

“There’s no guarantee.”

“Sure, but we’ll be okay.”

“What makes you say that?”

“We’ve always survived situations which seemed bad,” Iwaizumi explained. “At the time, we didn’t think we’d get through it, but we did.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” Oikawa replied. “But what if I didn’t. What point is there in doing that?”

“Stop talking like that.”

“Tell me, Iwa-chan, why should I carry on? I mean, next month, someone else will die. Might be you,” he said.

“This isn’t like you at all,” Iwaizumi said. “What about to toughing stuff out, huh?” Oikawa gave a non-committal noise, and much like everything, it pissed Iwaizumi off. Almost impulsively, he reached out his hand and whacked Oikawa in the face, resulting in a look of surprise and almost betrayal. Oikawa was freezing, he noticed, but small wonder. “Ain’t got a reason to live, huh? Is that what you’re saying?” In reply, Oikawa said nothing, and Iwaizumi shook his head in disgust. “Then if you haven’t got one, then live for me, goddammit.”

“Iwa-chan-”

“Don’t get sappy on me. It’s true. What good would you dyin’ do, huh?”

“It wouldn’t.”

“You’re the head of countermeasures. Without you, everyone’d die. You want that?”

“No!” Oikawa snapped, but then fell quiet. “Thanks, Iwa-chan.”

“Don’t mention it.”

+++

On August 15, the class trip to Hachiman Shrine commenced. At first, only a few students agreed to attend, but ultimately…

“Hey, Oikawa-san! You came too?” Nishinoya asked; there had been talk of him not attending, due to his mother being the second death of August.

“Wasn’t that tough for you?” Strangely enough, Kageyama sounded concerned.

Oikawa blanked this concern, and answered flatly: “Even if I shut myself up at home, and never set a foot outside, I knew I wouldn’t be safe.” Noya hadn’t bothered calling out again.

As they walked up the mountain path, through the trees, they saw the place they’d be staying, and Tanaka’s jaw dropped open. “This place looks more like a mansion out of some book than a shrine!”

“Like you’ve ever read a book!” Nishinoya chided.

“That’s because this is a hotel, not a shrine,” Tsukishima sounded, quite frankly, done with Tanaka’s idiocy. In the end, he’d come along too, despite insisting that he didn’t really care.

“I heard that some alum from Miyagi South donated it to the school,” Kiyoko informed them, and Nishinoya and Tanaka looked as if they were about to cry.

“A whole building to a school? Why would you even-”

“Let’s take a picture!” Yachi announced happily. “I mean, it’s our last year of high school, so… it’s important to remember it, I guess!”

“Yeah!” Hinata cheered, and she grinned at him.

“I’ll take the picture,” Kenma offered, gently taking the camera from Yachi; he peered down at it almost curiously.

“But Kozume-sensei…” Asahi trailed off, finding it unfair.

“Everyone should be in it.” After that, he’d utilised Nishinoya and Tanaka’s loud voices to organise everyone into a group, and even Oikawa’s mood seem to have lightened slightly – Daichi put this down to Iwaizumi’s influence.

Standing a little ways away from the group was Suga, who was scuffing at the ground with his shoes, and didn’t look up until Daichi tapped him lightly on the shoulder. “Hey, Suga,” he smiled warmly. “Kozume-san wants to take a photo with everyone.” When it seemed as though Suga was about to protest (did he still feel as though he didn’t belong?), Daichi merely propelled him to where the group was gathering.

Inside, Daichi knew that this was just a veneer of peace. He knew that everyone else could sense it too; in reality, they were all feeling terrible anxiety and tasting the metallic taste of fear in their mouths. If any of them inadvertently said something aloud, then the thing that they were all afraid of would instantly come to fruition.

“Maybe you should all put your bags down,” Kenma suggested, and they all complied. “Sugawara-san, Sawamura-san, could you move a bit closer? Thank you… hmm, Azumane-san, could you stand behind Tanaka-san? Thank you…”

“You’re having fun, Kozume-sensei,” Tanaka called out, earning himself a laugh from the class.

“Is everyone ready? Here we go… Cheese…” At that, they all split into grins.

Afterwards, they all crowded around the camera to see their group photo. Crouching in front of the group in the centre were Nishinoya and Hinata, both with matching goofy grins, and behind them were Tanaka and Kageyama, the latter who was messing up Hinata’s ginger hair. Sat to the side of those two were Kiyoko and Yachi, the former looking calm as anything, and the latter looking like a deer caught in headlights. Standing behind those was Asahi, who was smiling awkwardly, eyes closed. Rigidly, next to Asahi were Kindaichi and Kyoutani, the latter who wasn’t even smiling, but rather glowering into the camera like it was going to kill him. Aloof Tsukishima was standing just behind Kageyama, and leaving a gap to the left of him stood Oikawa and Iwaizumi. The former had poked his tongue out and was flashing the peace sign, and Daichi felt a wave of nostalgia at that grinning boy, who resembled the one he’d encountered in hospital all those many months ago. Iwaizumi seemed to be in the process of smacking it down. Then, at the opposite end to those two were Suga and Daichi, hands clasped and grinning like a pair of goons.

Daichi would come to treasure it.

And so, given the clear tension in the air, everyone was completely aware of the fact that this farcical peace wouldn’t last very long. There was no way in hell that it could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shit's about to hit the fan very soon brace yourselves


	20. August ; spoken word

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, they hear the contents of the tape. As does Oikawa.

Once they were all stood in the hotel’s lobby, Kenma finally addressed the class. “We’ll be climbing the mountain tomorrow. We’ll visit the shrine and pray for our class’s safety.” He then looked down at the clipboard he was carrying – where it was very obvious he had literally written down what he needed to say – and looked up again. “You can go to your rooms until dinner. It’s two a room. I’ve split you up best I can.”

So began the class trip, following the schedule exactly as two years earlier. Kenma, Daichi, Suga, Asahi, Noya, Hinata, and Tanaka – who had found out via Hinata – all knew the risks, and had to keep that from the rest of their classmates best they could. Kenma especially knew the risks; so many had died in this one week last time, but if there was so much as a chance, then wasn’t it worth taking?

After their dismissal, Kenma summoned them all to where he’d be staying – which was a larger room than what the students got, but they let it slide. Kenma was sat at the top of his bed, where Noya and Tanaka had sprawled themselves over, much to his chagrin. Politely, Hinata sat on the floor, Asahi leaned against the wall where he could observe everyone, and Daichi and Suga had crammed themselves on the lone chair by the window.

“So, you brought the recorder, Kozume-sensei?” Asahi asked, face serious, all fear drained away from him. It was like he knew that it wasn’t a time to show fear, and he was acting like the prospect of death didn’t bother him in the slightest.

“Yeah, I brought a speaker too, since the ones built into the recorder are terrible,” Kenma stared in disdain at it.

“Did you tell anyone else?” Suga asked, but Kenma simply shook his head.

“No. It didn’t seem like a thing you could talk to anyone else about,” he admitted.

“Not even the head of countermeasures?” Noya teased, and Tanaka flicked him on the forehead. “Ow!”

“Doing that would cause a panic,” Kenma pointed out, “because Oikawa-san would feel obliged to make that information public.”

“Hey, Kenma-san,” Hinata sounded… fearful. “Do you think they’re here on this trip? The extra person?” Kenma didn’t respond. “I can’t stop thinking about it. Like… can we not tell who it is?”

“What if there _was_?” Daichi said.

“Huh?” All the boys all turned to look at him.

“Suppose you found out who the extra person was. What would you do then?”

“That’s where this comes in,” said Kenma, breaking the tense silence, finally having hooked up the speakers to the recorder. “Are you ready?”

“More than ever,” Tanaka sighed, sitting up.

Silently, Kenma pressed the button. Then, in heavily accented Japanese, a voice floated out.

“ _Uh, right_ ,” the voice said. “ _I’m not even sure if this thing is recording, I’m not even sure how to work it, but whatever, I’ll go with it. Hopefully it’s recording. It says it is_ **.** ” Daichi rolled his eyes; wonderful, their last hope was an absolute idiot. “ _My name is Bokuto Koutarou. I’m third year class four at Miyagi South High School, and I plan to graduate next march. The date right now is… I mean, the time right now is… it’s midnight, and it’s just gone the twenty-first. And I’m by myself in this hotel room. I was sharing, but now I’m not. Whatever, that doesn’t matter. Once I finish, I’m hiding this someplace safe, ‘cause I could get into deep, deep shit. But if one day someone finds this, then you, whoever’s listening to this right now, maybe there’s more than one of you… you’re in class 3-4 too, right? And the disasters are happening, right?”_

The boys in the room exchanged a look, holding their breaths.

“ _This is… a confession to a crime, and also some advice. On the eighteenth, we went to Hachiman Shrine. There was twenty of us on the trip. We were all like, ‘hey, it’ll all be okay if we went to the shrine!’ We thought maybe the people knocking about in the sky would help us. We were all utterly convinced of that bullshit. Even the teacher believed it. But then, on the way back, it started to rain. Like. Thunder and lightning-”_

“Very, very frightening,” Noya mumbled, and Tanaka poked him in the ribs. “Ow!”

“ _And the… curse thingie, it wasn’t so wimpy to be broken by visiting a shrine. A guy named Kunimi was the first to die. Slipped and fell. Didn’t make a noise. So obviously, we all panicked, yeah? Most of us just ran, trying to save ourselves. I did the same. Behind me, a boy named Watari got struck by lightning. What the hell are the chances of that happening, huh? The curse totally did that. Apparently, a load of people just… went missing or died that night. I never saw ‘em again, anyways. But that’s not important. It’s when we got to the lodge that shit really, uh, hit the fan. I got into an argument with one of the girls, her name was_ █ █ █ █ █. _Anyway. She and I were pretty good friends, and –”_ Bokuto broke off, and there was the sound of sniffing. “ _We were outside, ‘cause being inside round everyone was way stressful.”_

 “ _Things were bad between us that night. We got really mad and upset because it was so stressful, you dig? So we had an argument. A biggun. I dunno how nobody heard us, but that’s a good thing I guess. She was saying stuff like: ‘Two people died today, Bokuto-san, and that’s just one day. So going to the shrine didn’t do anything. Everyone’s going to die. It could be you next.’ And that got to me, you know? Messed with me. So I got… beyond pissed. It was like… Well, I dunno really. It was like I wasn’t even thinking. It was like I wasn’t even… me. I think the curse does that to you. And I… I got so mad. So angry, and I…”_ There was a silence, and for a second, Daichi was worried that the recording had ended, but finally it spoke out. “ _I killed_ _█_ _█_ _█_ _█_ _█_ _. She was dead. I just… got so scared and ran. I couldn’t sleep at all. I thought someone would find her body, and that’d be it for me._

 _“But the next morning… nobody acted like they’d found her, so I thought to myself, right Bokuto, you’re gonna go out there, and you’re gonna find her again. But… she wasn’t there. At first, I thought that maybe I hadn’t killed her after all, but nah, that couldn’t be it. There wasn’t a trace of her, I mean it, not even blood, or something like that. I was really confused! So I went to ask Akaashi. So I was trying to be casual, like, ‘oh, hey, Akaashi, wonder whatever happened to_ _█_ _█_ _█_ _█_ _█_ _, think she went home?’ and he looked at me like I was stupid and was all like ‘Bokuto-san, are you okay?’ And obviously, I was even more confused, and then he asked, ‘Bokuto-san, who is this_ _█_ _█_ _█_ _█_ _█_ _person?’_

 _“Seriously, I thought I was going crazy. It was impossible, right, so I checked with everyone, and they were all insisting there was only nineteen, awkward because it was an odd number. Like there was nobody ever called_ _█_ _█_ _█_ _█_ _█_ _in the first place. Which is totally crazy!_

 _“But I dunno if you get what I’m getting at, but… the chick I killed must have been the extra person. She must have been already dead. What I did was… wrong. But it was also right, because I saved everyone. ‘Cause right after that, nobody died. I think what proves it is that nobody even remembers_ _█_ _█_ _█_ _█_ _█_ _anymore. Ever since the day I killed her, my class, teachers, even her fuckin’ parents, man, her parents! Nobody remembers a girl called_ _█_ _█_ _█_ _█_ _█_ _was in our class since April. It’s like their brains have just been… wiped down._

 _“So there you have it. Returning the casualty who should never have existed in the first place to death evens out the numbers, and they all match up again. I think it’s because I was responsible for_ _█_ _█_ _█_ _█_ _█_ _’s death that I’m the only one who still remembers her, but I bet that soon enough, I’m gonna forget. So while I could still remember, I figured that I should just… record it down.”_

Next to him, Suga was tense. “Suga…?” Daichi called out softly.

“ _The way to stop the disasters is to return the dead one back to death. That way, you restore order. Got it?”_

Outside the hotel room, Oikawa Tooru had his ear pressed against it, trying to hear it, and he had heard everything. The words seemed to swirl around in his mind as the recording came to a close. “ **Return the casualty to death. You have to kill the extra person. That’s the only way to stop the disasters once they’ve begun**.”

With that, he moved away, leaving no trace he’d ever been there.

Back inside the sanctuary of the hotel room, a dreadful silence descended upon the group. A long while ago, Hinata had clapped a hand to his mouth, and that’s where it stayed, and the rest looked uneasy, though none more than Suga who looked as though he was seconds away from being very unwell.

“Well,” Tanaka spoke first. “There’s that.”

“That was…intense,” Noya commented.

“I don’t like this,” Hinata said weakly. “Maybe it’s a fake.” No one said anything, but they all knew that it couldn’t be fake.

“Do you think the dead person’s name got fuzzed out because of the cu…phenomenon?” Asahi asked. “The tape was tampered with, and not by us. The name of the extra student, it was just gone.”

“Could be,” Kenma said, stowing the recorder away. “But this recorder is incredibly faulty, so it could just be blips and stuff like that, so…”

“So… killing the extra person makes the disasters stop,” Suga muttered quietly to himself, his hand reaching for Daichi’s in comfort.

“It’s stupid!” Tanaka announced with a huff.

“A solution like that won’t help anyone,” Suga spoke up, and the others fell silent. “It won’t help anything.”

“Hold on. If we could figure out who the casualty is…” Daichi spoke up, pondering.

“Oh yeah, and how would we do that?” Nishinoya challenged.

“Well-” Hinata began to speak up, but Asahi spoke over him.

“There’s nothing we can do. The casualty’s memories get altered too, much like ours does.” he looked intensely at the group of boys gathered in the room. “Would you kill that person? Could you do that? Who would? And how?”

“What if everyone in the class found that out?” Daichi sighed. “Do you think they’d get all worked up trying to figure out who the extra person is, even though it’s impossible to tell? What if they all decided that someone was actually dead without any concrete evidence? What if they were wrong?”

“There’s got to be another way,” Suga’s voice cut through the growing stillness. Daichi glanced at him, almost understanding his pain; automatically, his mouth dropped open at how pale he had gone, all colour drained from his face. His mind was cast back to the time long before, in that hospital elevator. It should have been expected that he was against any kind of killing.

“Apparently not. Sounds like we just have to get rid of… well, whoever it is. We just have to get rid of them.” Kenma stated, sounding almost accepting of the idea of murdering another student, and they all stared at him incredulously. Since the others didn’t know Kenma that well – Asahi, Noya and Tanaka, anyways – that must have come off as rude, but Daichi knew what he meant. He was just stating facts, working it out in his head; it didn’t mean he necessarily agreed with it.

“That’s cold, Kozume-sensei…” Tanaka grumbled. “Could ya really kill one of us?” Kenma just stared blankly. “Well, we don’t know who it is for our year. So I guess there’s really nothing we can do, is there?”

At that, they fell quiet.

“Hey, Daichi-san, is there really no way to tell?” Hinata asked. “Not even a little sign?”

“There are ways to tell,” Daichi frowned.

“Dead people are supposed to be cold,” Suga responded, though he seemed unwilling to add more to his statement. “And…” he looked away, before speaking in a lower tone – even Daichi, who was next to him, barely heard. ““False memories, they can’t be perfect, can they? Because they just aren’t real. If we can catch them in a lie...”

“Does anyone in our class look or feel dead to you?” Asahi shrugged. “If you ask me, everyone seems alive.”

“Except one person who’s not,” Nishinoya pointed out.

“Who knows, at this point,” Daichi finally answered.

“We’re the only ones who know what the recorder says. Made me think… you know,” Hinata looked at the floor. “I just don’t want to think about my family dying, like they’re getting dragged into all this because of me.”

“Yeah,” Tanaka sighed again, flopping back and staring at the ceiling.

Finally, they had a way to stop the disasters, they finally had their long-awaited answer, but what could they do?

+++

After that, Kenma had sloped off, telling them they could stay in his room if they wanted, but just promising not to touch his stuff or mess things up, but he said he was about to announce dinner. The hotel was wired with an announcement system – pretty strange, Daichi thought, but the quickest way to evacuate during an emergency.

During dinner, the entire class sat in the hotel dining room as the night staff served them before getting off shift. Despite the muffled and quiet chatter of the group, it seemed like they were all whispering, as if the curse could hear them, and would all come for them if it heard their voices. Still, the forced cheerfulness just made the place more draining. On Daichi’s table was Suga, Asahi, Noya and Tanaka – poor Kenma had been forced to sit with Hinata, Kageyama, Tsukishima and the girls.

Nearby, Oikawa sat with Iwaizumi, Kyoutani and Kindaichi. Constantly, Daichi could feel Oikawa’s eyes boring a hole into the back of his skull, probably because of his and Suga’s liveliness, despite all the odds. It had been the same when they’d been messing around in the classroom too. This time, Suga was insisting on feeding Daichi cake, and it was kind of fun, though Suga often shoved it on his face as amusement. But Oikawa’s obvious observation made an unsettling knot form in his stomach when he caught him looking.

As the plates were being cleared away, Oikawa finally stood up from his chair with no warning, his eyes serving as a threat, glaring at Daichi’s table. Everyone stared at him with a questioning gaze, except for Iwaizumi, who seemed apprehensive, somehow.

“Since we’re all here, I think that there’s something I need to say,” he said to nobody in particular, but his words seemed very angled towards Suga and Daichi, who were holding hands where they thought nobody could see. Iwaizumi crossed his arms, staring impassively at the scene.

“Oh,” Kenma said, acting teacher. “Okay, I guess. Say what you have to.” He was clearly clueless as to what the head of countermeasures could possibly have to say, and just stared flatly at him.

Oikawa cleared his throat before beginning. “We’ve been dancing around the issue forever, and I’m sick of it. We’ve lost people. Classmates, friends, people that we’re close to. People that we used to see every day, and now we’ll never see them again.”

It was silent, so he continued. “I’m sick of it! Like everyone is thinking the same thing, but no one will voice it because they’re afraid of how they’ll look. I don’t care, I’m saying it because someone needs to say it.”

 _Please, Oikawa, don’t do what I think you’re doing_ , Daichi pleaded in his head, but knowing he was right as Suga tensed up next to him.

“We all know that our first death started a month after the semester started. A whole month passed by with absolutely nobody dying. The reason for this was because our tactic was airtight – we had someone who was not there. The only known effective tactic.” These words seemed to hurting Suga physically, and Daichi rubbed a comforting thumb on his hands. “All we needed was for that person to carry on for the rest of the year, be brave and persevere so we would all be safe.” He paused, taking a deep breath through his nose. “At the start of this year, we got our transfer student, from Tokyo. Maybe we should have explained to him what was going on before everything went to hell. That’s fine, I will take responsibility for that. As the head of countermeasures, that should have been my job, and I messed it up, and for that, I’m sorry. That was my fault. But you, Sugawara-san… haven’t said anything at all about it. You haven’t acted the least bit remorseful about your part in this mess. As soon as we abandoned the tactic, you began to act like a normal part of the class again. It was almost like you didn’t care at all, about any of it, not even the people dying. Yes, I confess, I am partly responsible, yes. But Sugawara-san, you are even more so, and I want to hear an apology.”

“What the fuck?!” Tanaka had leapt to his feet, brandishing a fist at the other boy in fury.

Noya also stood up next to him. “That’s fucked up, man. You can’t lay the whole thing on one person, mistakes were made all around. You ain’t accepting your part in it at all, you’re just saying you are!”

Next to him, Suga’s grip was almost painful. Daichi knew what was going through his mind and heart right now. Guilt.

“I would still like an apology for all the things that we’ve had to suffer,” Oikawa insisted. “Not once has he talked about it. I would like an apology – for Kuroo, for Yamaguchi-san, for Takeda-sensei, for Ennoshita-san, Kinoshita-san, Narita-san!” There was a barely audible whimper heard from Yachi’s table, where Kiyoko was trying to comfort the ailing girl, who was becoming scared and stressed from the tense atmosphere in the room, which was about to get a lot worse.

“You’re not blameless either, Daichi-san. When Kuroo-died,” Oikawa continued. “I heard that when he found out about his mom’s death, he ran out of the room in a hurry, headed to the stairs next to our class. But you and Sugawara-san were standing there, so he panicked, and headed to the other stairs instead. If you two hadn’t been there right then, then maybe Kuroo wouldn’t have died.”

“That’s-” Daichi wanted to protest, but Oikawa wasn’t finished.

“The same with Tanaka-san’s sister, no?” Oikawa challenged. “The two of you were friends, weren’t you? Not only that, you’d been spilling all kinds of details to her about this problem Class 3-4 was having. Maybe because you talked to her about this stuff, she wound up as the casualty of June. You could interpret it like that, couldn’t you?” he smiled pleasantly, and turned to Tanaka. “Isn’t that what you thought, Tanaka-san?”

The anger dissolved from Tanaka’s face, and morphed into an expression of sadness.

“I… used to,” he managed. “I was sad, man. Not anymore.”

“But it’s a possibility, isn’t it?”

 _Yeah_ , Daichi thought. _Yeah, maybe he’s right. I didn’t understand what was happening back then, but still… blazing in and getting Saeko-san involved was absolutely…_

“This is pointless.” Suga’s grip had gone slack, and he’d dropped Daichi’s hand as he stood up. “Do you honestly believe that all of this is what I wanted? This is the last thing that I ever wanted to happen.”

“Then act like it! Apologize!”

“Suga, you don’t have to…” Noya started, still glaring at Oikawa.

“Yeah, don’t listen…” Asahi chipped in.

“Fine.” Suga’s blank voice rang out, leaving a frigid silence in its wake. “Do you think my words are magic? Will me saying sorry bring them all back? Will it make things better? Will it fix you? If I apologize, will it really mean something? If so, I’ll do it.” He fixed Oikawa with a determined look, and then cast his eyes to the students gathered around who were now staring at him.

“Suga, you don’t have to apolog-” Daichi began, but was cut across.

“I’m sorry.” He looked around the room, saying it again, unable to mask the underlying tremor to his voice. “I’m sorry. I never wanted this, and I’m sorry. I would have stayed invisible forever, if it could have helped. That didn’t happen, and I’m sorry-”

“No way! In the end, it’s all my fault, and-!” Daichi yelled, trying to get Suga to stop apologizing. _It’s not you, Suga, it’s not you._ His chest felt like it was on fire, and he could barely even breathe, but he had to let them know – he had to let them know that – he had to let them know that he was sorry, and -

“Come on!” Hinata yelled. “Just stop it!”

“ **Cut it out!** ” Asahi’s booming voice cut across the rest, silencing everyone. Not a single person in that room had ever heard Asahi raise his voice, often assuming he was too scared to do even that.

With an automatic jolt, Daichi felt like his lung had exploded in his ribcage, and before he realised it, he’d fallen off of his chair to the floor, gasping for breath. _Oh_ , he thought, seeing Suga’s face, reaching for him. _Is this how I go, huh?_

_I’m happy Suga’s here._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> things are going to get worse i am warning you now
> 
> as always, please leave comments and criticisms! I'll welcome all!


	21. August; eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suga finally tells Daichi his closely guarded secrets.

When he came to, his view was unfocused and hazy, and his body felt like it was made of lead. “Where…” he mumbled.

“We’re in our room at the hotel,” Suga’s voice floated down, and casting his eyes there, he saw him sat on a chair next to his bed. “Welcome back, Daichi.”

“Suga?”

“Kozume-san tried to call an ambulance, but there’s no signal here,” Suga said. “I was… really worried. Don’t scare me like that again. If you died, I had no idea what I’d do.”

“Same here,” said Daichi sleepily.

“You know, Tanaka-san helped carry you up here, Asahi-san too,” Suga carried on explaining, making small talk, as if helping Daichi come back around. It was working.

“He did?” Finding words was hard, but he managed, and Suga was incredibly patient.

“Yeah, we thought you were another casualty of August,” Suga whispered, as if frightened.

 _So did I_ , Daichi thought. _My lung just started to collapse again. I’m meant to be avoiding stress, but that’s damn near impossible in this class_. “I’m alright. I should be as right as rain if I just rest a little.”

“Thank you for what you said, back there, in the dining room,” Suga said, sounding immensely grateful. “Noya-san, Tanaka-san, Asahi-san, all of you. You all…”

“It’s nothing,” Daichi answered quickly. “That’s what we’re there for. To help you, to protect you.” _Me especially_ , he wanted to add, but kept silent. That state of calm serenity persisted, until Suga finally began to speak, acting like it burdened him to even talk.

“Daichi,” he said his name so lovingly, like a gentle breeze on a spring day. “I have… something I need to tell you.” Cautiously, Daichi sat up, sensing that something was wrong with the silver-haired boy. “As you know, my parent’s deaths meant that this had started in April, meaning that the despite the fact there were enough desks in the class, the extra person was already there. That was before you came to Miyagi South. So I can tell you that you’re not the dead one. I know you’ve been worried about it.” Daichi stared at him with his mouth open. “So relax. You aren’t the casualty, Daichi-san.” Then, he sighed, almost quietly. “My eyes told me that it isn’t you, either.”

“Your…eyes?” Daichi asked quickly.

“They…” he trailed off, clearly struggling to vocalise his thoughts. “They can see things that others can’t. I’m not… expecting you to believe me,” he muttered, “and I would understand if you thought that I was crazy. But… I trust you, Daichi. With everything.”

“I trust you,” Daichi returned. “What can you see?”

“Death,” Suga whispered. “Or at least, things that are on the side of death. It… it only happened after April, when my parents… when my parents died,” he bit his lip. “I was in that car with them, Daichi. I saw them die. Somehow, I was okay, and I don’t even know how. It’s unfair. I should have died alongside them.” He sounded so small and afraid, like the whole world was his enemy. “After that, I saw it in the hospital all around. I felt things that were really strange, like… a weird colour, tinging everything. It took me the longest while, but I finally figured it out when Yamaguchi-san died. It means death is there.”

“You mean, you see it when you look at a dead person’s face?” Daichi whispered.

“I’ve seen it when someone’s very badly hurt, or very sick,” Suga said. “But when someone’s actually dead, it’s much stronger. It’s not a prophecy or anything; all of the people who died in accidents didn’t have it. So there was nothing I could have done.” He looked guilty; did he think he could have saved them? “I... kept seeing it on you, too, Daichi. But somehow, you manage to get rid of it. Maybe you’re just lucky, who knows?”

“You… you have?” That scared the shit out of him.

“Yeah,” he nodded. “Do you remember that class photo Kenma-san showed us?”

“With Torono Tora?”

“Yeah,” Suga agreed. “I saw it then. The colour of death. But I can’t see it on you. You’re not dead, Daichi, and neither am I.”

“So does that mean… that you can tell who the extra person in our class is?”

“Yes,” Suga nodded, turning away, voice tight. His expression was a mixture of fear and overwhelming sadness. “That’s why I didn’t like going to school very much. I… couldn’t do anything about it.” So that’s why he’d gotten upset at the prospect of killing them – because he knew who it was.

“What about now?” Daichi said. “Is the extra person… here with us, on this trip?”

Suga looked at him with a piercing gaze. “The extra person is here.”

Instinctively, Daichi felt his eyes widen in panic and horror; but his heart plummeted in his chest. Would they really have to kill them? “Who is it?”

“That’s-”

“Daichi-san! Suga-san!” a voice yelled as the door slammed open. Stood there, panting heavily, and sodden from the rain outside, hair stuck to his face, was Hinata.

+++

_Upon Kenma’s suggestion, Asahi had gone to check out the recreational room to see if there was a deck of cards or a board game or maybe a quiz pack for the whole class to play to see if it could divert them from the disaster that was dinner. He was alone; it was only a one-man job, right? And besides, he was one of the tallest in class. Tsukishima could have easily done it, but he was lazy and didn’t particularly care about these things._

_Asahi did, though. Why couldn’t everyone try to see eye-to-eye? Things wouldn’t be resolved through hatred. Maybe he was the only one who held that view, though. Send the dead back to death. He couldn’t agree to that. The kill or be killed mentality wasn’t a good one to have. Maybe Bokuto had caught a fever from the rain?_

_Wishful thinking, he reminded himself, and carried on searching._

_Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the box of an Ouija board. **No thank you** , he thought to himself. Though, it was weird, it had seemed to have been recently disturbed, the box lid left ajar. Out of simple curiosity, he had a look at it. _

Contains: one board, one planchet, and for horror lovers, candles and lighters for a truly paranormal experience.

_“This game was designed by Satan,” he whispered to the box. Then, carefully, he opened the lid, with a bad feeling residing in his stomach; you had to love anxiety. There was the board, there was the planchet, there were the white candles, unused (“Thank God people have common sense.”) and… not a single lighter. Where were the lighters? It was possible the hotel staff had removed it for safety, but still…_

_“Azumane-san,” a voice called out behind him, calm and collected, changed from the rage it had held before. Asahi jumped out of his skin, and turned around to face the newcomer, hastily plonking the box back on the shelf._

_“O-Oi-Oikawa-s-san!” he stuttered madly. “A-Are you, uh, a-are you he-helping look for games too?”_

_“No, I’ve got more important things to be doing.”_

_“I-It is i-important!” Asahi protested feebly._

_“You were looking at a very interesting game, Azumane-san,” Oikawa pointed out, and words failed Asahi. “Did you think a kid’s game like that would help us find the dead one, huh?”_

_“N-no! I ju-just saw it!”_

_“Did you now.” Oikawa’s tone suggested that he didn’t believe a word Asahi was saying._

_“Yes!” Asahi squeaked._

_“You know we don’t need an Ouija board to find the extra person,” Oikawa smiled, as if talking about the weather._

_“Huh?”_

_“You guys were listening to something very interesting earlier,” Oikawa took a step forward, but when Asahi took one back, he slammed into the shelves. “That recording. Send the dead back to death. That’s the only way to stop them once they’ve begun.”_

Oh, no, _Asahi thought._ Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, **oh no**.

_“Would you like to tell me what you heard?” Oikawa said. “After all, I only heard part of it.”_

_“I-I-I…”_

_“Now, Azumane!” Oikawa looked… deranged, almost as crazy as Kyoutani got during matches. “You’ll tell me, right now!”_

_He wasn’t wrong._

+++

“Hinata-san? What are you-” Daichi began to question him, but Suga spoke with more urgency.

“What’s wrong?”

“Sorry for, uh, barging in like this, but…” he swallowed hard, clearly seconds away from panicking. “Can I ask you guys a question?” Both nodded. “S-So, hey…” his hands were shaking; he looked half-feral. “Do you guys know anyone… named Kagayama Tobio?”

“…Huh?” Daichi asked, and for a split second, Hinata looked relieved. “Sure I know him.” The happy expression slipped quickly off his face. “He’s our friend. Grumpy, calls you a dumbass all the time?”

Hinata ran a hand through his hair. “Oh man… oh maaaaan…” he breathed. “This is bad… this is…” he collapsed to his knees. “I was wrong. I thought that he was the extra person. So just now, I…”

“Wrong?” Daichi said.

“You mean you-?” Suga spluttered.

“I killed him,” Hinata whispered gravely, looking down at the floor holding his face in his hand. “Kageyama was acting weird, so when I started thinking who the extra person might be, he looked even more suspicious, ‘cause I thought he wasn’t himself. That he was… he was another Kageyama! Not the real Kageyama I was friends with!”

“So you killed him?” Daichi could barely contain his shock.

“I told him to come outside with me,” Hinata confessed miserably. “I got mad at him, saying he wasn’t the real Kageyama, and he was all like Hinata! Dumbass! Idiot! Stupid!” He shuddered. “He pushed me first, so I pushed him back, and then he stepped over this little drop off, and he just laid on the ground, not moving. I got scared and ran here. I thought of the tape, and that’s why… I… I…” he stuttered, beginning to sob. “Oh, God, did I really get it wrong?!” He looked up at the two other boys with searching eyes. “If you guys still know who he is…!”

“He might not be dead,” Suga comforted the wailing boy, who stopped crying. “You didn’t check if he was dead or not, did you? Falling a short distance wouldn’t really kill him.”

“We have to go and check,” Daichi said. “Hinata-san, take me to where Kageyama-san is. If he’s still alive, he needs help. You wait here, Suga! It’s safer here.”

For a moment, Suga looked as though he was about to protest, but nodded. “Don’t push yourself, Daichi.” As Hinata and Daichi were running from the room, he called out again. “Daichi. It’s not Kageyama-san.” With a nod, Daichi let him know that he’d heard, before speeding away, leaving Suga alone.

Hidden in the shadows, Oikawa Tooru watched them leave.

Outside, the rain was cold and hard, and seemed to hurt, but it didn’t matter, as they sprinted through the dirt path. “I’ve been checking into him lately,” Hinata explained. “I mentioned our secret base by the river when we were younger, and in summer break a couple years ago, we’d ride our bikes all the way to the beach, but we gave up as soon as we got outside town. But he was all like, _what are you talking about, Hinata, dumbass_!” He sounded short of breath but carried on; Daichi was feeling strange too. “Dammit! How could I have…?”

At this point, it was obvious that Hinata didn’t truly understand what it meant to be the extra person. The casualty came back to life without any awareness that they’d died once already. It was impossible to talk about them in terms of what was real and what was fake, because the casualty was the real thing. It didn’t mean a thing if they didn’t remember stuff from when they were little.

“There!” Hinata gesticulated wildly. “He’s over there!”

“Let’s get down there.”

Once they’d made their way (carefully) down the slope, they rushed to his side. “Kageyama! Hey!”

Daichi shook his shoulder gently, and the dark haired boy groaned softly. “Yes!” his face split into a happy smile. “He’s still alive!” He checked him over with a frown. “But he needs first aid straight away. Help me carry him, Hinata-san.”

Behind him, Hinata stared at his friend with tears in his eyes. “Oh… he’s alive?” the tears began to run down his face, and in shame, he began to rub them away. “That’s gr- I’m so…”

“The rain’s getting harder. We should get back,” Daichi informed him, sternly, sounding so much like a parent he surprised himself.

It wasn’t Kageyama-san. Suga had known that. Meaning that the casualty was someone else. _Who is it, Suga? Who is the extra person hiding in Class 3-4? Why won’t you tell me?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are about to get bad VERY SOON, BRACE YOURSELVES. 
> 
> Also, I'm always happy to hear your thoughts!


	22. August ; collapse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Around them, order quickly begins to collapse as the class tries to hunt out and kill the dead one.

_“This is a very important announcement from the head of countermeasures, to the students of Class 3-4. The recording you are about to hear is from two years ago, when the calamity stopped mid-year.”_

_A button was pressed with a soft click._

_“_ The way to stop the disasters is to return the dead one back to death. That way, you restore order. Got it? Return the casualty to death. You have to kill the extra person. That’s the only way to stop the disasters once they’ve begun _.”_

_“The facts are that the calamity stopped mid-year in 2014. And the dead one this year is… Sugawara Koushi. I know this because I went to the same middle school as him. I only realised it now. On our class photo from middle school, Sugawara’s eyes are silver, like his hair. Except now, they’re brown. Which means that he was reborn incomplete._

_“Which means that... which means that we…_

_“ **Which means that we have to kill him**!” _

+++

Leaving Hinata outside with Kageyama so he could go and fetch Kenma to deal with it, Daichi re-entered the hotel. All seemed quiet and undisturbed, so he let himself relax just a tiny bit. Strangely, the door to the dining hall was left ajar, even though it was meant to be shut; did Tanaka try and sneak in for seconds or something? However, before he could progress much further, something shot out from the shadows and grabbed his ankle.

A hand.

A _bloodied_ hand.

“T…Tsukishima-san?” Daichi managed, and then, “what happened to you?!” Placing a hand on his shoulder, it came away red, and Daichi stared down at it in horror – looking down, he saw that most of Tsukishima’s shirt was soaked red.

“I can’t…” Tsukishima choked out. “Help me…”

“Were you… were you stabbed?” Daichi asked, barely containing the fear out of his voice.

“I looked in the dining room,” Tsukishima croaked. “And it’s…” Moving past him, Daichi hurried to check in the dining hall through the crack in the door, and covered his eyes when he was hit with a wave of heat and light. The entire place was alight, and in the middle of the room, he saw a member of staff laid face down, beyond help. Hurriedly, he slammed the door shut in a vain attempt to contain it, and rushed back to his classmate’s side.

“Tsukishima-san, I have to get you out of here!” he yelled.

“Why are you shouting, Sawamura-san?!” At the top of the stairs leading to the room, Iwaizumi Hajime stood there, wearing his trademark frown. At that moment, Hinata burst in, looking frightened.

“Daichi-san! I heard shouting, what’s going on?!” he saw Tsukishima. “Is that Tsukki?!”

“Yeah! And he’s hurt, and bleeding!”

“How?!”

“I think he’s been stabbed,” Daichi confessed. “And there’s a fire in the dining hall! There’s a waiter inside, too! And I think someone purposely started that fire, and they’re the same one who stabbed Tsukishima!”

Hinata’s eyes widened. “Are you serious?!”

Above them, Iwaizumi had punched the fire alarm, but to no effect, and pressed it again, and again. “The alarm system’s out!” He called down, before running to join Daichi at Tsukishima’s side, and helped him move him away from the burning room.

Above them, there was a yell of pain and fear, and Hinata froze. “Was that… Was that Suga-san?!” Not even thinking about it, Daichi began to sprint up the steps, lung be damned – he had to get to Suga **_NOW_**.

“Suga!” he bellowed.

Behind him, Iwaizumi turned to face Hinata. “Get Tsukishima out of here and call 119!” He began to run behind Daichi, just as fast. “Hurry up and do it, dammit!”

“Right!” Hinata nodded.

On the second floor, they found a puddle of blood outside room 209 – Daichi and Suga’s room, and with no hesitation, the pair burst inside. The chair was knocked to one side, and there was blood splattered on the walls, too. “Oh no,” Daichi breathed. “Suga! SUGA!” he looked around wildly – where was he?! “Suga, where are you?!” Propelled by Iwaizumi out the room and into the corridor, Daichi was ready to move on, but a quiet voice stopped him in his tracks.

“Sawamura-san? Iwaizumi-san?” He looked – Kenma! “What’s going on?” There was no sense of urgency in his tone, despite the blood on the floor.

“Have you seen Suga?” Daichi asked. Kenma shook his head.

“The recorder’s gone missing,” he simply said.

“But why?” Daichi asked, urgently.

“You didn’t hear that announcement?!” Iwaizumi called over.

“What announcement? I was outside!”

“Oikawa played a recording from something, about a guy who managed to stop the calamity,” Iwaizumi explained hurriedly. “Then he said Sugawara-san was the dead one, and that everyone had to kill him.”

“You what?!” Daichi spat.

“That’s why I panicked when we heard Sugawara-san yell!”

Behind them, Hinata crashed into the scene. “Daichi-san!” he yelled. “What was that scream? Have you found Suga-san?”

“Where’s Tsukishima and Kageyama?!” Daichi yelled. Iwaizumi looked confused – of course, he had no clue about Kageyama, but there was no time to explain.

“With a member of staff!” Hinata insisted. “They’re trying to get through to 119 now!”

“Alright,” Daichi said.

“Everyone,” Kenma said. “Can someone tell me what’s going on?”

“Let’s split up. You look for Sugawara-san, and I’ll find Oikawa and make him stop,” Iwaizumi instructed diplomatically. “That’s the best way. Stop by all of the rooms and tell everyone to get the hell out!” Curtly, they all nodded and began to run from the room. “Kozume-sensei, please go outside! You too, Hinata-kun.”

Kenma nodded and sloped off, avoiding the pool of blood. Was he being serious right now? “Sawamura-san,” he said quietly. “This is not normal.” Daichi froze, and looked at his teacher and friend. “Please be careful. There’s no way to tell what people will do in a situation like this. There are people who will take advantage of the chaos, and there are nice people who try to help others before themselves.”

“A-Alright, Kozume-san,” he nodded. “Be careful, okay?” With that, Hinata began to guide him away, puzzled.

+++

“So… there’s a murderer?” Kenma asked Hinata as they walked down the stairs. Hinata nodded stiffly, as if trying to keep himself from breaking down, or throwing up, and if he was going that far, maybe both.

“Yeah, somewhere in the hotel,” Hinata said weakly. “Plus, there’s a fire burning in the dining hall, and we have no idea where the hell Suga-san is!” He balled his fists, and struck uselessly at the air. “Everything’s so messed up!”

“We should help Sawamura-san and Iwaizumi-san,” Kenma suggested. “We can’t just stand here quaking in terror. We should do something. We’re not alone in here, after all.”

“I’ll go!” Hinata offered. “You should go outside, Kenma-sensei!”

“But I-”

“Kageyama and Tsukishima _need_ you!” Hinata insisted. “Don’t worry, I’ll go and get the others.”

“Shouyou… are you sure?”

“Hell yeah!” Hinata pumped his fist. “Trust me, I’m practically indestructible!” With that, he sped away, but Kenma did not go outside, but traipsed up to the third floor, wanting to check something. He’d sent Azumane up there a while ago, and he’d not returned; as of right now, only he knew Azumane’s last location, and it was his responsibility to check.

+++

“Something ain’t right about all this, bro,” Tanaka grumbled under his breath.

“Yeah, we should probably get the hell out of here,” Nishinoya assented. “But I haven’t seen Asahi for a while, think he’s okay?”

“It’s Asahi, man,” Tanaka snorted. “He’ll be fine. He’s probably already gotten outta here and he’s blubbing like a baby somewhere.”

“Pff, yeah!” Noya grinned. “Alright, come on, man, let’s go.”

Strangely out of character for them, they made almost no noise exiting their room, save for the gentle click of the door – even that seemed too noisy in the all too quiet corridor. An uneasy feeling invaded Noya’s senses; something was definitely, definitely wrong, but as to what, he had no clue. And then he saw why.

“Hey,” he called out softly to Tanaka. “That’s not blood, is it?” He pointed to the floor outside the room next to theirs; from what he knew, Tsukishima was in there, since he and Asahi were sharing a room. Tanaka looked at him in discomfort, balling a fist, just in case he’d need to use it.

“Yeah, that looks like blood,” he agreed. “Either that, or someone’s had a ketchup party.”

“Do you think something happened to Tsukishima or Asahi?”

“I don’t know,” Tanaka admitted. “Maybe we should just go outside and call the police or something?”

“No, not yet,” said Noya, moving slowly down the hall. “Not before we make sure that Asahi and Tsukishima are okay.” With his heart sinking like a stone, the two of them stood in front of the bloodied door, and gently, he gave it a push. “Asahi? Tsukishima-san?”

Stood in the shadows of the room was a tall male figure, but he didn’t say a word at all. Taking a couple of steps forward so that the light from the hall revealed who they were, Noya realised that it wasn’t Tsukishima or Asahi at all. With eyes filled with feral rage, a lighter in one hand and a kitchen knife in the other, covered in blood that was clearly not his own, stood there was a Mad Dog.

With a screech of terror, Noya and Tanaka leapt away from the doorframe as the Mad Dog struck; in his haste, Noya fell and slammed into the wall, the knife being thrust deep into the soft wood millimetres away from his face; next time he wouldn’t be so lucky. Pulling it out roughly, Kyoutani raised it a second time, but before he could swing it down on Noya’s skull, Tanaka shoved him, tackling him to the floor. After losing his grip on his weapon, it was tossed into the air and came slicing down through Noya’s calf. “Shit!” Noya hissed in pain, and Tanaka looked over at him in concern, before rushing over as Kyoutani struggled to his feet.

“Nishinoya, let’s get the hell out of here!” he yelled.

“My leg, you moron!” Noya yelled in return, and the two of them looked at the cut.

“Oh, shit!”

“Yeah, _oh shit_!”

Kyoutani had finally began to walk towards them like a predator towards its prey, and in a split second, Tanaka had picked Noya up on his back and began running away. If Kyoutani threw that knife, it was probably going to hit Noya ( _but at least I’ll be okay_ , said a small voice in his head, before it shouted _snap out of it, asshole!_ ) and like his life depended on it- because it did, he began to get the hell away.

“What the hell, Kyoutani?!” Tanaka growled as he ran.

“Judge me if you want,” Kyoutani called, “but we’re all going to die. I intend to deserve it. Being killed by me, or being killed by the curse, it’s all one and the same.”

+++

From where he was on the second floor, Daichi heard the yells of terror from what sounded like Nishinoya and Tanaka. He cast his eyes down the stairs; he was sure that was where it came from. Before he could start off towards them, the sound of footsteps stopped him. Sure enough, Oikawa’s face came into view; he looked exhausted, but Daichi just got mad – making a rash announcement like that, calling on his fellow classmates to kill Sugawara was just stupid; _you’re a moron, you’re an idiot, you’re a dick_ , he wanted to say, but instead, he said, “Oikawa-san! Are you okay?”

“Thank goodness,” Oikawa breathed, sounding half-relieved. “You’re alive, Daichi-san. When you collapsed in the dining hall, I thought you were the casualty of August.”

“R-right,” Daichi agreed, not sure what he was getting at.

Then, he pointed to the space behind Daichi’s head

Briefly, Daichi looked behind him, fearing that taking his eyes off Oikawa for too long would have negative consequences, and stood there with an expression of surprise was Suga, who was using a hand to wipe at a cut just above his left eyebrow. “To save everyone, we have to send the dead back to death, right?”

“Stop this!” A commanding voice called out, and from behind Suga stalked Shimizu Kiyoko, completely fearless. “You can’t kill your own classmate.”

“But if we send the dead person back to death, nobody else has to die!” Oikawa growled. “If I kill Sugawara, the calamity will end!"

“No!” Kiyoko snapped, a quiet fury in her voice. “Don’t do this. It’s a mistake.”

“Then who the hell is dead?!” Oikawa demanded, clutching what looked like a fire poker tighter in his hands.

“I don’t know,” Kiyoko admitted. “But you cannot do this, Oikawa-san.”

“But I… I… I…” Oikawa’s face was screwed up. “I don’t want to die!” he roared, and rushed towards Suga, eyes wide. They weren’t angry, or particularly malicious; they were terrified. Without thinking, Daichi leapt straight at him, slamming him into a wall. The poker flew above their heads and slammed right by Suga’s feet. “Get out of my way!” Oikawa yelled, jerking his knee up into Daichi’s groin.

Before Daichi could even attempt to so much as crawl and grab the poker, Oikawa had seized it, but in front of Suga, Kiyoko had widened her arms, making her intention obvious that she was protecting Suga. With another howl of almost fury, Oikawa struck again, and the fire poker connected with the side of Shimizu’s head. Instantly, he collapsed onto her knees and fell forward, unmoving. Freezing, Oikawa looked down at her, eyes wide and filled with fear. “You bastard!” Daichi yelled, and without so much as blinking, stood up and lunged for Oikawa, his fist connecting with his jaw.

Somehow, Oikawa escaped with nothing but the beginnings of a nosebleed. “You asshole,” he spat back up at him. Before their fight could continue, however, Suga’s hand stopped him, an almost calming force. When they exchanged a look, Suga shook his head. _No. No what_ , Suga? Daichi thought. No, don’t fight, or no, he isn’t the dead one?

Without leaving much chance to ponder this, Daichi squeezed Suga’s hand and the pair began to sprint away from Oikawa, who didn’t seem like he was going to pursue them. “Shimizu-san isn’t dead!” Suga shouted as they ran. “Don’t worry!” At the end of that corridor stood Kindaichi, who had obviously heard the struggle outside, and was brandishing what looked like a Swiss Army knife. Even peaceful people, when given a weapon, could go crazy; afterwards, they couldn’t understand what lead them to it. “I’m gonna get revenge for everyone who’s died!” he yelled viciously.

“No!” Daichi retorted, lashing out as they neared him, grateful that the hit connected as Kindaichi doubled over. “Sorry!” he called out over his shoulder. Sprinting into the last room at the end, they bolted the door and leaned against it, panting heavily; flimsy protection at best, but it would have to suffice for now.

On the door, Kindaichi began to bang his fists against it. “Open the door!”

“What happened to your eye?”

“Oikawa happened to my eye,” Suga explained briefly. “I’ll probably need stitches. For now it’s okay, though.”

Behind them the door began to jump; Daichi suspected that Oikawa had decided to help Kindaichi. Suga glanced over to the window, and Daichi nodded in agreement; within a few seconds, they had rushed to the window, thrown it open and edged their way carefully across to the ledge connecting the windows. From before the rain had grown even harder, so much so that visibility was low. They were just teasing death now, weren’t they? Daichi thought to himself as he gripped the wall, using a hand to open the other window, Suga behind him. As he stepped onto the window sill, Kindaichi’s head popped out of the room they were just in, and when he saw them, he grinned.

“Got you,” he said. “I’m gonna be the class hero,” he declared grandly, stepping onto the ledge, and swinging his knife. Instinctively, Daichi pulled Suga out of harm’s way, but the knife did nick his cheek, if only slightly. Almost in slow motion, Daichi saw Kindaichi’s foot begin to slide to the side from his attack; if they were on normal ground, it would have levelled him, but on a slippy, narrow service, it did more harm than good, and without further ado, his foot fell over the side, and the rest of him surely followed. An expression of surprise flitting over his features, Kindaichi tumbled three stories below, and at the sound of a horrible crack, Daichi closed his eyes, not wanting to look.

“Kindaichi-san!” Oikawa’s voice tore out the window as he gazed down in horror, and he cast a look of hatred towards Suga before vanishing from view. As Daichi and Suga entered the hall, he was stood there, fury on his features. “You guys killed Kindaichi-san! _**You**_!” Not bothering to reply, Suga pulled Daichi away, and through a set of doors at the end, where he slammed them shut, and held them closed, whilst looking around for something. As he walked off, Daichi remained to keep Oikawa contained in the relative safety of the hall; seconds later, Suga returned with a broom.

“That’s not really an effective weapon,” Daichi informed him.

“It’s not meant to be,” Suga replied, sliding it through the door handles. “It’s old, so it won’t hold forever. Come on!” At that moment, the building was rocked with a powerful surge that knocked even Daichi to the ground. The noise was almost deafening, and it took effort to guard himself from the decorations and light fixtures falling.

“What was that?!” Suga gasped once the shocks had ended. The banging on the other side of the door seemed to have stopped too.

 Daichi cast an eye at the floor below. “An explosion in the dining hall, probably. It’s on fire.”

“Oh,” said Suga, like it was the most normal thing in the world to be conversing about. “Why is the dining hall on fire?”

“I think someone purposely set it on fire,” Daichi shrugged. “But that’s not conclusive.”

“No, I think you’re right,” Suga replied with a nod. “There’s a tactic known as smoking people out.” Daichi cast a glance at the door, and mouthed _seriously_? “Tell me something, Daichi.”

“What’s wrong?”

“If the dead person was gone, then all of these tragic things… they’d stop happening, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right. That’s what the recording said.”

“I…see.” Suga smiled bitterly at something, and then stood up, and cautiously took the broom from the door. And without further ado, he smacked Daichi in the temple with as much force as he could muster.


	23. August ; survival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the fire rages on, the remainder of Class 3-4 try to survive.

Thanks to the explosion in the dining hall, it had quickly spread to other parts of the hotel like a contagious disease. Though that wasn’t important to Tanaka Ryuunosuke as he continued struggling through the fumes with a bleeding Nishinoya on his back away from a half-insane Kyoutani, escaping from certain doom; nor was it all that important to a heavily bleeding Shimizu Kiyoko, who was staggering through the halls from where Oikawa, Suga and Daichi had left her; at the time, none had believed the fire could get any worse, but clearly, the were wrong. Hinata, far below, was seeking out his friends, though to no avail – a little pesky fire couldn’t stop him. Meanwhile, Kenma strolled casually along the hall away from the recreational room, along with Asahi, both who were carrying Daichi between them, who was out cold. Outside, Kageyama and Tsukishima were watching the hotel with intent eyes, despite the varying degrees of pain they were both in; besides them, Yachi was cowering – where was Kiyoko? Suga was nowhere to be seen. Also vanished was Oikawa, with Iwaizumi running in the halls calling for him, believing him to have been killed, as he’d caught sight of Kindaichi’s broken body.

In the throes of a terrible chase, Tanaka was struggling along with Nishinoya on his back, who had since become semi-unresponsive, lulling in and out of consciousness, with only Tanaka’s voice bringing him out of his doze. Yet even that was losing its effectiveness. “Yo, Noya, stick with it, man, okay?” Despite trying his best to sound like his upbeat self, it just came out panicked and desperate, though not for bad reason; the Mad Dog had quite literally given into his own feral instincts and was pursuing them like a bloodhound on scent.

 _Ah, dammit, Nee-chan_ , Tanaka thought. _You don’t think ya could help me out a little, could ya? I might be joining ya, else._

As if in answer, or a rare sliver of hope, out of the corner of his eye he spotted the glint of a smashed window, perhaps an aftereffect of the explosion – he could only assume that was what that loud noise was, since he’d been somewhat preoccupied when he’d heard it – and looked at the pale Noya on his back. Without wasting a single breath, he sprinted over to the smashed window, which seemed large enough to fit Noya through (Nishinoya was quite small when you thought about it but _you weren’t meant to point it out, dammit, Ryuu!_ ). As he pushed Noya as gently as he could out the window (but as quickly as he could too), he almost felt guilty about being relieved by the dead weight. With a heavy thud (probably not a good sign), Tanaka was about to quickly vacate the premises and get away from Kyoutani too by sliding out the window, but as he did so, a sturdy hand grabbed his ankle and began to pull him back into the burning hotel.

Above him, and lifting him slowly was Kyoutani standing there, face devoid of any human emotion; he seemed more like a feral animal with every passing second. “Shit!” Tanaka began to squirm, trying to grab onto the brickwork of the building, bitten nails scrabbling uselessly against the surface. “Noya! Help me, moron!” Almost idly, Noya turned to face him, but when he saw the situation, eyes widened, and sluggishly, he pushed himself to his feet and leapt at Tanaka, grasping onto his shirt with his remaining strength. It was no use, and Tanaka could feel himself being pulled upwards. For what seemed like eternity this struggle continued.

But in the distance, he could hear something approaching; an almost whirring noise. If he tried to ignore the grunts of effort from Kyoutani and Nishinoya (which were impossible), he could just pick it up. Was it some kind of pre-explosion build up? God, he hoped not. Otherwise the events of that night would have been…kind of pointless. Well, on the upside, at least he could see Saeko again.

The noise was getting louder and louder, and even Kyoutani and Nishinoya had paused, perhaps recognizing the threat? Then, it came apparent what it was. Someone was yelling something akin to a war cry. _What?_ Nishinoya and Tanaka exchanged a confused look, and then the realisation dawned on their faces. Behind them, there was a loud thud as something solid connected to the back of Kyoutani’s head, toppling him from the window, realising Tanaka as he fell. In relief, Nishinoya (who hissed in pain and held his leg) and Tanaka fell straight to the floor; compared to the hot building, the muddy ground was absolute bliss.

Neither had seen their saviour, but it was clear who it was. For now they were in the cle-

Kyoutani stirred, and both boys exchanged a look of horror. Like a wolf, he leapt onto Noya, weapon aloft. Closing his eyes, Noya yelled “I don’t wanna die!” as he braced for his grisly demise. Trying to improvise, Tanaka was up like a bullet, not wanting another person he cared about to die, and grabbed Kyoutani’s wrist, wrenching it back. Turning to face him, eyes wide, Kyoutani lunged at him, a blow which Tanaka barely dodged. Behind them, Noya had gone limp, but the rise and fall of his chest indicated that he was alive. _Thank god._ Falling onto his butt for a second time, Tanaka stared up at Kyoutani – dammit, this is the last thing I’m gonna see, huh? Man, why couldn’t it have been a pretty girl or some shit?

Then, as he closed his eyes for the final time, he saw it. Just behind Kyoutani, undetected by the Mad Dog – a small miracle in itself. A small, lithe figure had leapt athletically from the window, fire extinguisher in hand, poised for another hit on Kyoutani’s skull. The last one seemed to have had a small effect – Kyoutani’s movements had been ever so slightly slower, which was probably the only reason why Tanaka was still alive. With a satisfying noise, the fire extinguisher smashed into Kyotani’s head with more force than the previous time, and with that, the Mad Dog fell, and didn’t move. Standing above him like David triumphing Goliath, the fire extinguisher falling from his fingers, was Hinata Shoyo

Opening his eyes a little, Noya gave a weak laugh. “Yo, if it ain’t the Little Giant.”

***

Upon Kenma and Asahi’s arrival to where the class and staff had collected, Yachi leapt to her feet to greet them, shaking as she walked. “Kozume-sensei!” Kenma nodded in greeting as he and Asahi began to lay the comatose Daichi under the relative shelter of the trees next to Kageyama.

“What happened to him?” Kageyama looked curiously at Daichi – who’d seemed big and strong and somewhat indestructible so far.

“I… don’t know,” Asahi shrugged, looking grim. “Have you seen Noya?” Kageyama shook his head negative.

“Have you seen Hinata?” Kageyama returned.

“Oh, Shoyo went to find the others,” Kenma said, as if that wasn’t at all unusual or perhaps dangerous; Asahi and Kageyama could only stare in horror at him. “I’m sure he found Nishinoya-san.”

“But still…!” Kageyama yelled, and then grunted in pain, grabbing his head. “Ow, dammit!”

“Is it just you three out here?” Kenma asked, looking from the worried Yachi, to pained Kageyama and to stoic Tsukishima. “With Azumane-san and Daichi-san, that’s…five.”

“Where’s Kiyoko-san? Did you see her?” Yachi inquired, but Asahi shook his head. “Sensei, should I go in and look for them?”

For a second, Kenma stared at the taller boy, who was trying his best to not look afraid; he knew that in times like this, he couldn’t cry or scream no matter how much he wanted to. Besides, Daichi would have offered to do that, wouldn’t he? Saying that, though, Daichi had always been braver and stronger than him. Then, the teacher shook his head. “No. You have to stay here. Now it’s too dangerous.”

“Too dangerous,” Yachi echoed, sitting on the wet and cold ground, pulling her knees to her chest. “Kiyoko-san’s in a lot of danger… and I can’t help her.”

“She would praise you for being sensible and being safe above all else,” Asahi tried his best to comfort her, and sat down between her and Daichi, and without thinking much, he held their hands with almost brotherly need to protect them. It was the very least he could do. At the small gesture, Yachi burst into tears and buried her face in her knees, trying to muffle her cries. At that, Tsukishima dropped his head, just wanting the situation to be over. Damn that Kyoutani.

At the contact and only warmth he could feel in the rainy air outside, Daichi stirred, pushing the fog in his mind away. Suga. Oikawa. The explosion. He jumped up suddenly, scaring Asahi and Yachi, who jerked away from him. However, the sudden movement made him woozy, and he fell down again, trying to get rid of the sluggishly slow feeling in his brain. “Yo, Daichi, take it easy!” Asahi urged him, and he nodded in response.

“Hey, Asahi,” he croaked. “Did you see Suga?” His best friend simply shook his head no. Unthinkingly, Daichi balled his hand into a fist, a wave of frustration working through his mind. “Then,” he swallowed, trying to get rid of the dryness of his throat. “Who made it outside?”

“So far, just Kageyama-san, Tsukishima-san, Hitoka-san, Kozume-sensei, you and me,” he said.

“That’s not a lot of people,” Daichi muttered faintly, though slowly his sapped strength was returning.

“More people will come,” Yachi piped up. “They have to. Kiyoko-san, Hinata-san, they’re coming.”

“You bet,” Daichi smiled, muscles in his face aching. Even so, he sat up, more steadily this time. In the distance, through the blurriness of his eyes and the rain, he saw two figures making their way towards the group – three, since it seemed they were dragging someone along them. “Hey, everyone, look!” He called out, jumping to his feet, staggering slightly. All pairs of eyes swivelled to where he was pointing.

“It’s Tanaka-san,” Kenma noted, and slowly began to walk towards them with teacherly concern.

“It’s Hinata-san!” Yachi struggled to her feet, and began to drift closer to the group, almost as though her feet were moving by themselves.

“Hey, it’s Noya!” Asahi joined in. “Is he okay?! Hey, Noya!”

Despite being grateful to see his friends, Daichi remained rooted to the spot, only staring at the scene of Asahi and Yachi fussing over Noya and Hinata. Still sat down, Tsukishima finally looked up. “Sawamura-san,” he said. “I didn’t see anything.”

“What?”

With a sly smile, Tsukishima nodded to the hotel. “Well, if you perchance wandered off to go and, oh, I don’t know, find Sugawara, I wouldn’t have a clue.”

“Tsukishima-san, thank yo-”

“Yeah, whatever,” Tsukishima said. “Hey, Kageyama-san, you didn’t see anything either, did you?”

“No?” Kageyama looked confused, and for some reason, kind of affronted that Tsukishima had the audacity to try and talk to him. Despite the horrors that had occurred and were occurring at that very moment, Daichi found it in himself to smile for a change. For a second, it was refreshing.

“Thanks, you guys.”

“Get gone and quit wasting time,” Tsukshima scolded him coldly. “I appreciate that you want to say thank you, but I’d appreciate it if you found an appropriate time and place.”

“Right,” Daichi said, and began to hurry away, checking he hadn’t been detected. Tsukishima scared him sometimes. Fortunately, he’d made it all the way inside, without being seen, and he thanked his lucky stars, but he had a feeling that Tsukishima stalled the others for time. _Thank him later_.

 _If there **is** a later_.

“Suga!” he called out to the vast burning emptiness. “If you’re in here, answer me!”

Still nothing as he walked up the stairs. A chunk of wood fell from the ceiling above, but by bending over and shielding his head, it fell harmlessly away. At the top of the stairs, both adjoining corridors were burning so badly that there would be no way he could push through without injury or choking to death; chances were that the same applied to Suga, and the others who hadn’t made it out yet. Instinctively, he checked behind him – and there, on the elevated hall facing him, were Suga and Iwaizumi.

Both looked serious, and were facing each other. Illuminated by the fire’s light, Daichi saw a sharpened fire poker glinting in his hand. Slowly, ever so slowly, Iwaizumi began to advance towards Suga, his face determined and set, like Daichi had seen him wear during volleyball practice. “Iwaizumi, stop!” He launched himself around the corner and began to thunder along the hall to try and catch up to Iwaizumi before he made the biggest mistake of his life. “Please, stop!” As he approached the pair, he urged the class president again.

With an expression of irritation and annoyance, Iwaizumi spun round, bring his weapon up into the air and down almost gracefully; it would have hit Daichi had he not sprung back. Even then, it was obvious Iwaizumi did not mean to injure him – he only wanted him to stay back and not get in his way. “I know he’s the dead one! So if I don’t kill him, we’ll all die – you could die too, you idiot!” He swung for Daichi again, simply getting him to move further and further away from Suga, who hadn’t moved. He seemed… resigned. “The only reason you’ve survived is because he likes you. You’ve nearly died many times, but somehow you’re still alive. It makes sense! It’s because you’re friends with the dead one!”

“You’ve got it all wrong! Suga’s not dead!” Daichi protested.

“If the calamity doesn’t end after I kill him, then I’d agree with you!” With a strong, well-trained arm, he punched Daichi in the stomach, who in turned doubled over.

Spinning to face Suga, Iwaizumi sprinted towards the silver haired boy, and lunged at him, knocking him to the ground with a yell of anger. Upon seeing Daichi again – Daichi, who hadn’t given up on him when he really should have done by now – Suga had gained some of his resolve which had fizzled out approximately ten minutes of wandering the halls by himself. It seemed almost natural that the curse would find him eventually; he just didn’t expect it to be in the form of the dependable class president. Still, Suga managed to deflect Iwaizumi’s blow during their fall, but that didn’t stop him from gritting his teeth and driving it down. Suga rolled his head desperately from side to side trying to avoid the blows, the poker stabbing into the floorboards. Another after-explosion rocked the building, and with a yelp of surprise, Iwaizumi fell off Suga, who shakily stood up and began to make his way towards Daichi – it looked like Iwaizumi had winded him.

But a hand in his hair yanked him back painfully, and the poker was there, prepared to be stabbed right through his heart, when Iwaizumi’s grip slackened as the floor gave way beneath them. “Daichi!” Suga called over when they landed, and a low groan let him know that Daichi was somewhat alright. Pushing the boards of off himself in amazement that he was even alive, he began to make his way towards the stairs, his original goal in mind, but Iwaizumi pulled him back, and the pair of them rolled like cloth dolls down the steps. Suga was the first to stir, getting up on all fours, but when Iwaizumi moved, he dealt a stinging blow to Suga’s face, tearing the skin and knocking him over again.

Wasting no time, his jaw set in grim determination, he straddled Suga’s chest, making all movements on the nigh impossible, and shoved his face aside for a shot right through the jugular. _Smart_ , Suga thought. _That’s a quick way to go. I hope it doesn’t hurt_. “This ends…” Iwaizumi took a deep breath in, as if steeling himself, “…right now.”

Before the poker could be brought down in a devastating strike, Daichi had leapt at Iwaizumi as though he was a tiger, and shoved him off with considerable force. Iwaizumi recovered quickly and began to sprint for Suga again, but Daichi gripped his wrist and pulled him back, restraining both his hands as he did so, and struggle though he may, Daichi stayed steadfast, using all of his strength. He’d never really seen how strong Iwaizumi really was before, but he knew it was evident that he was a force to be reckoned with.

“You’re wrong about Suga, and you know it.”

At that, the strength faded from Iwaizumi, and it was safe to let him go. Just in case, Daichi held onto his wrist. He stood between Iwaizumi and Suga, keeping them apart, and stared at Iwaizumi, hoping the sensible Class President would come to his senses. Out of everyone, Iwaizumi had always known what to do, stayed calm, was mature. With guilt, Iwaizumi looked down, like a punished toddler, and with a silent sigh of relief, Daichi dropped his hand.

Then, lightning fast, Iwaizumi had shot a knee into his groin, and he doubled over in pain, and fell backwards onto Suga, who winced. At the very least he could be a shield this way. “What the hell’s your problem?!” Iwaizumi roared. “I’m just trying to protect everyone else, so why?!” Bringing the poker out to point at Daichi, he began to growl. “If you’re so desperate to die, I’ll kill the both of you. You’re both bad luck – there’s nothing to say that there can’t be two dead ones!”

Suddenly there was a roar, as if the building itself was being ripped into life, and it was beyond furious, and all three froze, and stared in horror as a plume of fire shot out from one of the corridors, raining down on them burning chunks of debris and shards of glass. Out of protective instinct, Iwaizumi threw himself at Daichi and Suga, _remembering, remembering, remembering something_ , as each painful shard of glass drove hard into his back, his arms, his neck, and everything hurt.

Once the horrible razor-sharp rain had ended, he fell limply to the side, breath rattling in his throat. Daichi and Suga could only stare in horror at their class president, with glass shards sticking out of his skin, blood beginning to pool. Out of fear, Suga shuffled backwards, looking horrified, but Daichi was spurred forwards, trying to pull the glass out as gently as he could. Iwaizumi shouldn’t have to die in pain.

“Hey, Sawamura, knock it off,” he mumbled. “It’s not going to make any difference.”

“Iwaizumi-san-!” Daichi looked like he was about to burst into tears; no matter how angry Iwaizumi had gotten, and despite his attempts to try and kill the both of them, it wasn’t a deed worth of death.

“Don’t cry, moron,” Iwaizumi rolled his eyes with a weak chuckle. “You’ve got to enjoy your life, or you’re just going to waste it.” He coughed, trying to suck precious air into his lungs, but the air hear was thick and contaminated with smoke. “Listen, I have to –” he broke off to cough.

“Don’t push yourself,” Daichi urged him, but he shook his head softly.

“If I do or I don’t, the outcome’s the same,” he responded placidly. It was odd, how strong it was, but yeah, he could probably have seen this coming from a mile off. “I know who the dead person is. I remember.” At those words, Daichi flinched.

“You… remember?”

“Yeah, I remember,” Iwaizumi nodded, closing his eyes. “This whole time, I’ve been holding onto something that doesn’t even exist anymore. The person I miss doesn’t exist anymore. People disappear. And you know something? I could wish all damn day that he didn’t, but he did.” He turned to Daichi with a sad smile, and tears beginning to form. “I think this was my fault.”

“No, it wasn’t –” Daichi began to tell him otherwise, but it fell on deaf ears. Iwaizumi Hajime went to his death, believing his hands to be bloody, and seeking out any form of forgiveness from higher powers, when it wasn’t needed. “It wasn’t your fault.” With that, Daichi respectfully scooped the bloodied Iwaizumi into his arms and stood up. “Alright, Suga, let’s get out of he…” Suga was nowhere to be seen, vanished like the ghost people claimed him to be. “Suga?”

Looking down at Iwaizumi, Daichi decided what to do now, and deep down inside, he knew what Suga had gone to do, and knew that he couldn’t face the dead person alone, as Iwaizumi had done. “I’ll take over from here, Iwaizumi-san,” Daichi told Iwaizumi, as he made his way outside the hotel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been a while since I updated, but I've been so busy and had writers block! As always, please leave any comments that you may have, I would really, really appreciate it.


	24. August ; send the dead back to death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The casualty's identity is revealed, and the calamity comes to a grisly end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please leave any comments or a kudos, I'm always interested in hearing what you have to say!!

Upon seeing Iwaizumi’s lifeless body, nobody had said a word. Nobody could say anything at all, but stare in horror and shock as Daichi laid him peacefully down; respectfully, Asahi shrugged off his jacket and laid it on top of the former class president, so it almost seemed as though he was asleep.

Yachi began to cry softly once more, and Kiyoko put a comforting arm around her. Kiyoko was badly burned, Daichi noticed, her hair badly burned on the left side, her pretty skin scarred with an ugly burn. Either way, she was trying not to let it bother her, and had simply turned her cheek so the frigid rain could soothe it slightly. Not standing to be there, not standing the overwhelming sense of guilt at the sight of Iwaizumi’s body, and began to wander away from them.

Out of his pocket he produced his cellphone, and began to search the contacts for Suga’s name upon seeing that he had two bars of signal – not much and nothing compared to the city, but it was something. When it began to ring, he felt a slight sense of relief, but it was overridden quickly by anxiety and fear. Then, the ringing stopped and a freakishly calm voice answered.

“Daichi?”

“Thank god!” Daichi breathed. “You’re alive! Are you injured?”

“No, I’m alright. Are you okay?”

“Y-yeah,” he said. “I’m alive, and that’s pretty much all I have going for me.”

“Iwaizumi-san is gone, isn’t he?”

“Yeah, he… he is.”

“Don’t blame yourself, Daichi.”

“I know, but – Where are you?!”

“I’m in the backyard,” Suga answered, almost as though the two of them were exchanging pleasantries on a nice summer’s day.

“I’ll be right there!” Daichi promised him, and was about to speak when Suga’s voice became emotional as it floated through the receiver.

“Don’t. You shouldn’t come here, Daichi, I mean it. Stay where you are. Stay safe. Please.”

“But Suga-”

“You’ll regret it,” Suga said, sounding sad. “I don’t want you to have any more horrible memories.”

“What do you mean?”

“I have too…” Suga sighed, as if not prepared for what he was about to say next. “I have to stop it.” With that, the phone call ended abruptly, and Daichi shoved his cell back into his pocket and began to sprint. The backyard, how the hell did you get there? He’d assume by sprinting around the side of the hotel, so that’s what he’d do.

“Suga!” he yelled. “Suga!”

Juxtaposing the fiery backdrop of the burning hotel, Suga’s stood silently, turned away from Daichi, his hair glinting as though he was an angel. But the pickaxe in his hands told Daichi he was an angel of death more than anything.

“Daichi…” Suga stared at him with a sad expression, before toughening up again. “Stay back,” Suga warned him, sounding like a mother chastising her child; Daichi froze a little ways away.

“Hey… are you okay?” Daichi ventured, and Suga nodded.

“Yes, I’m fine,” he turned away. “More importantly…” he turned to the pile of debris gathered on the ground in front of him. “The last person missing from our class got caught in an explosion, and they’re under that rubble there.” From underneath the pile, there was signs of life as it began to shift slightly, and a hand inched out from the depths of the debris, pulling the victim out. _Dammit, there’s a person under there!_

“Well, we have to help them!” Daichi started forward, but Suga shot out an arm, preventing him from going much further.

“We can’t do that, Daichi,” he looked forlorn. “The person under there is the **extra person**. I can see it. The colour of death. So… you can’t help them now.” He turned away and spoke in a low voice. “I’ve known for a long time. I knew who it was, but I couldn’t say anything. I would have been ignored, and what could people have done? But after I heard that recording, I thought that I should be the one to stop it. It’s only right.” He gripped the pickaxe even harder. “I didn’t think that the awful things that happened tonight would happen, and that so many people would be hurt, and that people would die.” He looked away, continuing on. “I had no idea that the terror about this entire calamity would drive them crazy.”

Daichi simply let out a small sigh, resigning himself to the inevitable outcome, and feeling defeated and angry and weak all at once.

“I have to stop it now, otherwise, everyone will-”

When Daichi began to walk towards the pile of rubble, this time, Suga made no attempt to stop him, recognizing the iron will in his eyes. Maybe it was right for Daichi to know who the dead person was, and Suga knew it. At the very least, it would grant him closure on his final, hellish year of high school.

Daichi remembered too. When they shook hands upon their first meeting in the hospital, how _icy cold_ his skin had been to the touch, freakishly cold, abnormally cold. And he remembered how on the first day of school, he hadn’t been there, either… the reason he recalled overhearing was him being at a _funeral_. He remembered meeting the crazed woman in the cemetery, and the words she repeated to herself, almost like a mantra. “ _My poor Tooru. My poor, poor Tooru_ …”

Laid on the floor, bronze curls tarnished with dust, was Oikawa Tooru. Upon seeing him, Oikawa looked relieved, the worry and anxiety melting on his face. “Daichi-san!” he called out, squirming under the rubble. “It’s not me, I promise it’s not me! Come on, help me out, please-!”

“There’s a mistake,” Daichi whispered, almost out of instinct, almost out of fear. Out of instinct, he looked down, tears blurring his vision. What was Suga going to do? He already knew the answer, but even so, he couldn’t accept it. “Oikawa-san can’t be the dead one!”

“Why not?”

“Because… because there was no mention of him in the old class rosters!”

“That’s because Oikawa-san wasn’t in the old class rosters,” Suga informed him. “Oikawa Tooru was killed alongside his father, Oikawa Akihiro, when they were involved in a car crash with Sugawara Yuuto and Sugawara Yua in April, at the start of this school year.” Daichi froze; it sounded as though Suga was reeling off something he’d read, as though he had no feelings one way or another. Sadly, Suga turned to Oikawa. “Don’t you remember?”

“Of course I’d remember something like my dad dying!” Oikawa spat, struggling with renewed vigour. “But I didn’t die, I know I didn’t. My mom was killed by the curse too, so that means I have to be alive!”

“Think about it. If we had the right number of seats at the start of the year, then no deaths should have occurred this year,” Suga explained calmly, though the trembling of his hands and the way he was using the pickaxe like a crutch didn’t escape Daichi’s notice. “There was the right number of seats, until Daichi came and bumped that number up by one. Or rather, had you truly died that day, then there would have still been the correct number of seats. But for some reason, you stayed alive. Kept alive by the calamity itself, or maybe by your own personal wish granted by the supernatural nature of our class.”

“So, what you’re saying is…” Daichi trailed off. “His death was nothing to do with the curse at all, originally, and that it was just your normal accident?” Suga nodded. “Since he was already enlisted in the class, then…” he trailed off. “There would have been no mention of him in the past registers, and no changes would have to be made. So he went completely under the radar…?”

“Come on, Daichi-san!” Oikawa yelled angrily. “What are you two saying? You can’t honestly believe this crap!”

“Oikawa-san was the head of countermeasures, too,” Suga said. “So any strategy that he came up with was doomed to fail from the start. But you didn’t mean to do that, I know that much.”

“So, what, you’re saying all of this is my fault?!” Oikawa waved a hand out, indicating the fire raging behind them.

“In short, yes,” Suga said softly, and Daichi winced a little. However, he knew Suga was lying; it had been evident from the very start that Suga regretted his failure as the non-existent. “But I don’t blame you. Nobody asked you to come back, you just did.”

Oikawa balled his fists, and hissed in rage at the pair of them. “You’re wrong! My mom, what about her? She was one of the curse’s victims too! If I was dead, then she wouldn’t have died!”

“Her death wasn’t part of the calamity,” Suga’s voice broke the silence that shortly descended, with only the crackle of the fire raging through the building and the rain pounding the ground to be heard. “She took her own life because-”

“She kept seeing her dead son everywhere,” Daichi finished. “That would be enough to…”

“Come on!” Oikawa protested feebly. “He’s lying, Daichi-san! I can’t be… I’m not…” he struggled for words as they were drowned in breathy sobs. “I was meant to protect everyone! I can’t be the one who killed them! I can’t, _I can’t_ , **_I can’t_**.” He pounded his fist against the ground in anger.

“I’m sorry, Oikawa-san,” Suga said, his voice so raw with emotion it tore at Daichi’s own heart.

“If I am the dead one, then I deserve to die, but I –” Oikawa trembled, fist still clenched looking down, but he tore his head to stare down his fellow classmates. “I don’t want to die, dammit!”

“I know,” Suga whispered shortly. “Please move out of the way, Daichi.” Slowly, he began to progress towards Oikawa, raising the pickaxe. Oikawa’s eyes went abnormally wide in fear, and he looked as though he was about to be sick. _No wonder. Even though he’s dead, he feels, acts, thinks as though he’s alive. That’s just what the phenomenon does, and that’s why it’s so damn hard to stop_. “It’s time for me to stop this.”

“Wait!” Daichi stood firm, stopping Suga in his path. For a few seconds, he gritted his teeth and contemplated his course of action. “You can’t do this.”

“But, if we don’t…” Suga’s hands shook even harder than before, and it looked as though he was beyond the point of tears, “…you… and everyone else will-”

“I know that.” Daichi looked at him, shutting down all emotions, stuffing them into a corner of his mind. As he next spoke, there was the sensation was of something breaking. That was how it felt. Something broke inside him. “I know that. I understand.” Gently, he prised the pickaxe from Suga’s hands – which, despite the cold, were still as warm and alive as a summer’s day – and looked at him dead in the eye. “I’ll do it. Let me.”

“Daichi…” Suga trailed off, sounding incredibly sorrowful, but Daichi turned to face the extra. It was better to think him as the extra and not Oikawa, almost like he wasn’t a real person, and that this didn’t hurt at all. Raising his arms as though they were made of wood, and as though his movements weren’t his own, he raised the deadly pickaxe above his head.

“Daichi-san- wait- what are you-?”

 _Is this really right?_ The worry in Daichi’s brain threatened to eat him alive. _Is this really the right choice?_ _What if he isn’t the casualty? There can’t be a mistake – if we’re wrong, then I’ll just flat-out murder Oikawa-san. Is everything Suga said the truth? Can I… can I trust Suga?_

Sensing his hesitation, Suga reached out, and touched Daichi lightly on the shoulder. “Believe me… no, trust me, Daichi.” For a serene moment, they stayed like that, staring at each other, seeking solace and any form of comfort, if there was any to be had.

Then, with a sigh, Daichi turned away, clearing his mind of anything. No thoughts, no doubts, no emotions. Nothing.

Tightening his grip on the pickaxe, refusing to hesitate any longer and drag out everyone’s torment, he raised it once more. “Oikawa-san…” Then, the tears began to leak from his eyes.

 “ **Goodbye, Oikawa-san.** ”


	25. Anamnesis

“Should you really be up and about, Sawamura-kun?”

Inspector Ushijima’s voice cut across the overall oppressive silence of Daichi’s hospital room; the only things to be heard was the casual beeping of machines, and voices drifting from the hall through the now-open doorway. The patient himself was stood with his back turned to the policeman, staring fixedly at the scenery of the town outside. At the voice, Daichi tore his attention from the river glistening in the afternoon sun, and turned to face his visitor. “Ushijima-san, right?”

“You remember me,” Ushijima assented. “I wanted to thank you for your help.” There was a silence, and clearly uncomfortable, the Inspector began to talk. “It’s terrible that you had to undergo surgery right after the incident on your class trip.”

“I don’t really remember how I got here,” Daichi admitted. All he knew was that after the fire had started, his lung had collapsed again, and so the hospital had performed surgery to prevent any more attacks in the future. From what they’d told him, he would be able to take up his residence back at the Azumane home sometime next week.

Ushijima made no comment on his confession and sat in the plastic chair at the side of the bed. “Before dawn on August 16…” he sighed deeply through his nose. “Firefighters couldn’t hold back the blaze – which is currently under investigation as suspected arson - and the Hachiman Lodge was completely destroyed. Several bodies were found at the scene. Kindaichi Yutarou. Kyoutani Kentarou. Iwaizumi Hajime. Yamaguchi Hiiro. All died in the fire. Supposedly.”

The tone in Ushijima’s voice told him that he suspected much more, but Daichi didn’t rise to it. 

“There were more deaths earlier this year as well,” Ushijima continued, as though they were chatting about the weather. “The accidental death of Tanaka Saeko in June, and the earlier case of Kuroo Tetsurou and his mother dying on the same day in May. Not to mention a student named Yamaguchi, but I heard he died from a long-standing illness. Not to mention the disappearance of Ennoshita Chikara, or the mysterious death of your former homeroom teacher.” There was a pause, and he gave Daichi a grave look, before sighing in resignation and looking away. “It’s hard to ignore, don’t you agree?”

“…Anyone else?” Daichi spoke up, and Ushijima looked at him in confusion. “Was there… anyone else who died in the fire?”

“No, that was everyone,” Ushijima answered. “Were you worried for your friends?” Daichi nodded slowly in response. “Well, there’s no need to worry anymore. I named everyone, no question about that.”

“I see,” Daichi answered, sliding back on his bed, feeling tired. “Thank you, Officer.”

Blanking his gratitude, Ushijima continued on. “Aside from the arson, we have no reason to be suspicious of the students or their deaths. It just seemed… like one very long, tragic accident.” Then, he threaded his fingers together and looked at Daichi seriously. “However, it is nagging at me, so I asked around, purely out of personal interest. And… I stumbled across a… **peculiar** rumour that mentions a… curse on Class 3-4. Your class. Obviously, you must have heard it.” At that moment, the Inspector dropped his gaze to stare at his polished shoes. “I thought it sounded insane, but I looked into it anyway. When I did, I found that a shocking number of people linked to Miyagi South die some years, though not all. But of course, that’s not enough for me to act on, and if I brought this up at work, they’d laugh me out of the office.”

“They’re…” Daichi rasped, his voice barely heard.

The inspector looked up. “Hmm?”

“They’re over now,” Daichi turned to face him. “The disasters for this year. They’re over.”

***

In his own hospital bed, Nishinoya Yuu was pouring over a manga that one of the nurses had helpfully supplied him. Normally, he wouldn’t have been able to sit still for so long, but he was terrified of ripping the stitches in his leg – besides, moving was a pain anyway. “Ack!” an exclamation of terror diverted his attention as he stared at the entrance to the room, which Azumane Asahi was being shoved through. “Hey, knock it off, quit shoving me…” he was pleading to the person outside, which made Noya grin. Upon seeing the patient, he froze. “Uh…” he cleared his throat a few times. “H-Hey, Noya. Uh… did you cut your hair?”

At that, Nishinoya burst into a loud peal of laughter.

“Wha-?! Hey, did I say something funny?”

“Oh, come on!” Noya rolled his eyes melodramatically. “ _Did you cut your hair?_ Are you for real?””

“Oh, come on, cut me some slack! I came to see how you were doing!”

With a soft shake of his head, Noya replied, “Yeah, I cut my hair. ‘Cos it got burned off in the fire.” He grinned. “Hey, me and Tanaka are twinning and winning now!”

“ _Twinning and winning_? Are **you** for real?!”

***

In front of the Oikawa family grave, wafts of incense floated up into the warm air, as the last of summer came to a close. Standing serenely in front of it was Sugawara Koushi, who had his hands placed together in a silent prayer. As he opened his eyes, the stitches running just above his eyelid stung, and he winced slightly. Finally, as the cries of the cicadas began to fade, he lowered his hands, and stared at the grave in front of him, etching the names into his memories.

“You’re here too?” a soft voice called out.

“Yes,” he said to the newcomer. “Is everything alright with your lungs now?”

“Yeah,” Daichi Sawamura nodded as he came and stood by Suga. “I probably won’t be able to join in during gym class, but I suppose it could be worse.” For the longest time, they stood in silence, staring at the name **OIKAWA TOORU** etched in large letters on the grave, in between his parents.

“I don’t think anybody else remembers Oikawa-san being in our class this year,” Suga said.

“Only us, huh?” Daichi mused aloud.

“You know, Oikawa-san already thought of you as a friend,” Suga spoke up. “He was always like that, for some reason. When we found out we’d be getting a transfer at the end of last year, he would always say that if anyone was mean to you, he’d get Iwa-chan and beat them up. And that when you got to the school, he’d look after you. Even when he didn’t even know you.”

It was only then that Daichi was aware of the tears pouring relentlessly down his face, and for a while, they stayed like that, side-by-side, in their own little worlds of grief.

“Including Oikawa-san, sixteen people… ended up dying,” Suga managed out. “I was worried that you would become the seventeenth.”

“Strictly speaking, there were seventeen,” an eerily calm voice answered, and the two boys turned to see their teacher walking up to the grave, a bouquet of flowers in hand. They were all red, Daichi noted – the colour of Kuroo’s favourite hoodie, he knew. “The waiter who died in the kitchen fire that night was Yamaguchi-san’s brother. From what I heard, he took his brother’s death very hard, and he wasn’t the same afterwards.” Tenderly, he placed the red flowers on the grave and looked down at it. “Oikawa-san was the casualty this year, even though he was alive at the start.” He looked down. “I can’t remember him.”

That was right. Nobody remembered anymore – they’d forgotten that there ever was a head of countermeasures named Oikawa Tooru. Aside from Suga and Daichi, who were so deeply involved with his death, nobody else remembered.

Their teacher began to walk away a little bit. “I have a car now. Do you want me to drive the two of you home?”

“No, we’ll be alright, Kenma-san.” Daichi promised, trying to smile and Kenma nodded.

“Alright, be careful on your way home.” Kenma nodded slowly, and walked a little way away before stopping. “Oh, actually, I guess…” he turned to face them with a small smile, almost looking like Kuroo’s wolfish grin. “It’s over, isn’t it?”

Shortly after their teacher’s departure, the two began to make their way down the row of graves to the entrance, and then back into town. Daichi spoke up to break the silence. “I tried to call you from when I was in the hospital the other day, but you didn’t answer. What something wrong?”

“Oh, the only reason I didn’t answer,” Suga turned to face him with a notorious sly grin, “is because I threw it in the river after that day.”

“Why’d you do _that_?”

“I never really liked that thing,” Suga admitted easily. “And if I hadn’t brought it with me on the trip, then you wouldn’t have to send Oikawa-san back to death. Besides, soon, you won’t have any reason to call me anymore.”

“Right. When we’re in Tokyo, you’ll be with me all the time.”

“That’s right,” Suga laughed, with an easy smile. “I’ll be with you forever from here on out.”

“Here. Since you were in hospital, you didn’t get one of these.” He produced a photo from his pocket. “Kenma-san gave them to me. Look,” he handed one to Daichi, and pointed to a figure who was flashing a peace sign at the camera. “You can see Oikawa-san on them.”

“Yeah,” Daichi muttered.

“It didn’t seem like any of the others could see him,” Suga said quietly.

“Do you think…” Daichi trailed off, at a loss for words, “do you think that… we’ll slowly forget all of this over time too? The trip, everything that’s happened since April, everything that happened with Oikawa-san. Everything.”

“You really don’t want to forget?” Suga peered at him curiously. “Do you want to remember forever?”

“I don’t know.” Daichi whispered. But still, he remembered. For that short period of time, Oikawa continued his life in this town, as a casualty made flesh. At that moment, Oikawa’s voice floated through his mind, back to that old conversation back in May, when everyone was talking about their future. A future not all of them had.

_“Saying that though, Daichi-san, if you really want to go for it, then you don’t have to be scared. No matter what you’re doing, it’s kind of pathetic to give up before you even try.”_

Softly, Suga held Daichi’s hand in his own as they walked, a gesture to say _it’s okay, you’re not alone, I’m here._

“Hey, Suga?”

“Mmm?”

“Let’s try and open a bookstore in Tokyo one day.”

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

***

On the desk next to him was a CD case with the words **to the future students of Class 3-4** written on it in his neatest hand. Before he forgot, and whilst he was alone, Sawamura Daichi decided to do a recording, as Bokuto Koutarou had done before him.

“That’s how you stop the calamity. It’s up to you how you interpret this. Just make sure you carefully consider your actions, and think it through. Talk it over with your friends…”

On his and Suga’s final night in Miyagi, and the last day of the worst part of their lives, and the beginning of their future together, Daichi taped the CD in the place that they’d found the original recording.

“ **…so you’ll have no regrets**.”


End file.
